TWIN FALLS Jayco Inc. has announced an expansion that will bring another 360 jobs to Twin Falls. The travel trailer manufacturer will build a 160,000 square-foot manufacturing and warehouse building at its existing site in Twin Falls, Urban Renewal Agency Director Nathan Murray said. Jayco opened its Twin Falls operations more than a decade ago in order to better serve West coast and Canadian markets. This is a pretty significant expansion for them, Murray said. Unemployment has been at record lows around the Magic Valley over the past year, making it challenging for employers to attract workers. Jayco had considered expansion in other locations, but Murray believes the decision to expand in Twin Falls is a testament to their faith in Twin Falls to rally around them. The new jobs, he said will be added over the next 18 months to two years. The Idaho Department of Commerces Economic Advisory Council approved the project for tax reimbursement incentives in August. Jayco can begin receiving those reimbursements one it has created at least 50 jobs, Idaho Commerce spokeswoman Megan Hill said. The state reimburses the company 24 percent of its income, payroll and sales taxes. The estimated incentive value of that incentive is $4.9 million over 12 years. The average yearly wage for the new jobs will be $43,300. The expansion is projected to bring direct state revenue of $20.4 million. Our executive team considered several western states when searching for the right fit for expansion, Matt Thompson, Jayco COO, said in a statement. We concluded that capitalizing on the benefits offered in Twin Falls out-weighed benefits outside the state of Idaho. He commended the work of Gov. C.L. Butch Otter, Idaho Commerce and Twin Falls County Commissioner Don Hall in supporting what the company wanted to accomplish. There is nothing more heartening than when the economic conditions are right for an existing Idaho company to deepen its roots and create more great opportunities for Idahoans, Otter said in a statement. The expansion of Jayco further confirms Idahos leadership in growing jobs and incomes in America. Twin Falls County Commissioners are considering offering a tax abatement as an incentive package to Jayco, Hall said. If it happens, it will have been the first time Twin Falls County has offered an incentive package for economic development. Its a win, he said. Ive had this theory that a community is either growing or dying. You cant stay static in this environment. The URA and city of Twin Falls have agreed to cover the companys building permit fees. Bishs RV, the only Jayco dealer in the Magic Valley, sells all lines that the company manufacturers. Its Jay Flight SLX travel trailers, manufactured in Twin Falls, are the most popular item the dealership sells, company spokeswoman Megan Walker said. And the close proximity to Jayco helps cut the cost of freight. Its great that theyre expanding, Walker said. It means that Jayco is doing good and the RV business is doing good. Murray said Jayco will expand production by bringing in a product line currently not in Twin Falls. Local and national Jayco offices could not be reached for comment. Jayco, based out of Middlebury, Ind., is a subsidiary of Thor Industries Inc. The company said in a statement that it plans to begin and fast-track the expansion project immediately. Renowned Ghanaian Fashion designer, Tetteh Plahar, is shocked about the shooting incident in Las Vegas in the United States of America (USA). He said he was lucky to have escaped unhurt as he was at a party at the hotel where the unfortunate shooting took place. At least 58 people are feared dead and 515 injured when Stephen Paddock, 64, and a resident of Mesquite, Navada, fired hundreds of bullets into a music festival crowd from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on Monday. Narrating his ordeal to the Daily Heritage, he said Ghanaians in the city are living in fear after the shooting incident. Mr Plahar, together with seven other Ghanaians, was attending a friends party and had checked in at the Mandalay Bay Hotel, where the shooting took place. According to him, they do not feel safe living in Las Vegas as we are so terrified that we couldnt sleep the whole night. If you look at the layout of the city, you feel everything is fine. But now if I am walking on the streets I have to be extra-careful and look behind me to see who is coming, he added, We were in our rooms at the Mandalay Bay Hotel, which is directly opposite the place where the shooting happened. When I heard the sound outside, I thought it was fireworks until I saw people running and police vehicles driving to the scene. I was panicking because we didnt know where he [the gunman] was hiding and what he would do next. We were terrified but things calmed down when the police came around, he narrated. The former designer for the former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings said Prior to the shootings, security at the hotel wasnt tight. No one was checking what one was carrying inside the hotel. We cant say were safe now because during our breakfast this morning we were told there was a bomb scare and that we should stay indoors. When you come close to incidents like this, you feel very scared, he said. He continued that, we are checking out of the hotel in the next 30 minutes because we dont feel safe here. UK-based Ghanaian music duo Reggie N Bollie have blamed weak foundation of the Ghana music industry for the ailing industry. According to them, talents abound in the country but there is no support to nurture such talents which renders the few struggling inadequate. In an interview with host KMJ on Daybreak Hitz on Hitz FM, the runners-up of the 2015 edition of the UK series X-Factor stressed that one doesnt need to be an A level artiste to generate revenue from their musical careers. According to them, the technicalities required to promote artistes in the country to the international platform is misplaced, noting that is the reason most artistes are not living up to standard. It is killing talents in Ghana. Think about artistes who have relocated. The industry must get to the level where they dont have to travel to abroad to make music to make money. A lot of talents are coming in. "We still feel challenges are still around. I think its time our industry elevates to the next level where when a song is among the top 40 or number one, there are lots of revenue coming in; artistes will not fight with their managers You dont have to be the hottest artiste to make millions elsewhere. You come here [Ghana] and the hottest artistes dont receive the required income and go down the drain. Our industry must get to a level where the money comes from every angle Reggie indicated. The duo believes the Ghanaian music industry is should be monetised for artiste to reap the fruits of their labour. The time for talking is over. We should start implementing things now. People are making money and we need to take the music business serious they maintained. The UK-based Ghanaian musical duo commended Catherine Afeku, the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture for naming them as Tourism ambassadors. We are so proud of the Minister of Tourism, Madam Catherine Afeku. Ghanas tourism will go to the next level Kwame Baffoe otherwise known as Abronye DC 03.10.2017 LISTEN The outspoken Brong Ahafo Regional Youth Organizer of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwame Baffoe otherwise known as Abronye DC, has told a controversial musician, Kwame Asare Obeng aka A-Plus to stop attending management meeting at Korle Bu hospital. Controversial musician, A Plus in a recent Facebook post, described the two gentlemen, Samuel Abu Jinapor and Francis Asenso-Boakye as stupid corrupt thieves". The matter was referred to the police for further investigation following widespread condemnation. However, on Wednesday 27th September 2017, an audio conversation between A Plus and a senior CID official identified to be the Deputy Director General of the CID, ACP Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah which indicated that the investigative report was cooked, went viral on social media. Speaking to the media recently, Abronye DC noted that A-Plus is the most corrupt person in Ghana who has lost his moral senses and now resorting to calling others as corrupt just to shield his stingy deals. In a latest statement issued on October 2, 2017 by Abronye DC indicated that A-Plus is not a member of Korle Bu hospital's management but always attend a meeting as a Special Assistant to Dr. Felix Anyaa the CEO of Korle Bu hospital. "Kwame A-Plus, you and your boss cannot contest me at all. As for you, you think Korle Bu is for you now because you always attend management meeting as special assistant to Dr. Felix Anyaa the CEO of Korle Bu, even though you are not part of management. I will address the issue at an appropriate time. Abronye DC however, told A-Plus that his boss, Dr. Felix Anyaa doesn't qualified to handle the position as CEO indicated that Dr. Anyaa is above 60 years and should be on his retirement status now. He asked, "is Dr. Felix Anyaa current position at Korle Bu for a limited period or what? And if so for how many years did Dr. Felix Anyaa, appointment letter indicated for his retirement since he is over sixty years (60)". According to Abronye DC, Dr. Anyaa appointment as CEO of Korle Bu is therefore in contravention with PNDL (327) Service Act 1903 subsection 71 of that law says that, a person holding a civil service post shall in accordance with the article 199 of the 1992 Constitution, retire from the service on reaching the age of sixty years. Below is the statement: Kwame Baffoe Abronye Writes, Kwame A plus, you and your Boss Cannot contest me at all. As for you, you think Korle Bu is for you now because you always attend management meeting as special assistant to Dr. Felix Anyaa the CEO of Korle Bu, even though you are not part of management. I will address that issue at an appropriate time. First and foremost, it is on record that, your boss Dr Felix Anyaa was born on 1950 and he was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of Korle Bu in April 2017 , an indication that his appointment was in contravention with the Civil Service Act, 1993 327 Section 71 of that law says that a person holding a civil service post shall in accordance with article 199 of the constitution, retire from the service on reaching the age of sixty years. Subsection 1 does not prevent the appointment of a person who is more than sixty years of age on a limited engagement for two years at a time not exceeding five years in total. Here is the question, Is Dr Felix Anyaa current position at Korle Bu for a limited period or what? And if so for how many years did Dr. Felix Anyaa, appointment letter indicated for his retirement since he is over sixty years (60). If all these were not captured in the appointment letter as CEO of Korle Bu, then his appointment is/was in contravention with PNDL (327) civil service act 1993. Source: Daniel Kaku /Ghana /Modernghana.com An operation by the Accra Regional Police Command has led to the arrest of 156 suspected criminals, including 45 women, in some brothels at the Madina, Adentan and Abokobi areas. The operation was part of moves by the new Accra Regional Police Commander, DCOP George Alex Mensah to clamp down on robberies in the Accra metropolis. Among the arrested 45 women were 10 Nigerians and a Liberian, believed to be commercial sex workers. They were said to be in brothels practising prostitution when the police team swooped on them. Some of them, according to the police, were having sex with their clients when the heavily armed police personnel broke into their rooms. Some quantities of condoms were discovered on them in the course of the arrests. At a press briefing, the Accra Regional Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Efia Tenge, said the three-hour operation was conducted in the wee hours of yesterday and was led by the Regional Operations Commander, Chief Superintendent Kwesi Ofori. After receiving several complaints of bag snatching, robbery and all sorts of criminal activities in the area, the command deployed a team to raid the brothels and nab the suspected criminals. The police spokeswoman said that the suspected prostitutes were within the ages of 19 and 51. The ages of the 111 men, ASP Efia Tenge disclosed, range from 18 to 40 years. Some quantities of dried leaves suspected to be Indian Hemp (wee) and sharp implements were discovered from the men in the process of the arrest. The suspects have been brought to the Accra Police Command for screening and those found culpable will be prosecuted. Meanwhile, ASP Efia Tenge has extended invitation to all victims of robbery attacks to visit the regional command to identify the suspects so that they could be processed for the court of law. By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey ([email protected]) The final report on the investigation conducted by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service into the corruption allegation against the two deputy chiefs of staff by controversial musician and satirist, Kwame Asare Obeng aka A-Plus, is out with startling revelations. According to the over eight-page report of the investigators, led by COP Bright Oduro, Director General (CID), A-Plus could not provide any evidence which suggested that the two deputy chiefs of staff Francis Asenso-Boakye and Samuel Abu Jinapor were involved in any corrupt practices but based his allegation on personal opinion. The investigators therefore described the allegation by A-Plus as baseless, unsubstantiated and without credibility. How It Started On August 27, 2017, Kwame A-Plus accused Messrs Francis Asenso-Boakye and Samuel Abu Jinapor of corruption, thievery, arrogance and stupidity on his Facebook wall and wondered why President Akufo-Addo appointed them to the positions they occupy. Following the allegation, President Akufo-Addo ordered the Financial Forensic Unit of the CID to look into the matter to establish the authenticity or otherwise of the allegation and to take action against the individuals per Section 239 of the Criminal and Other Offences Act (Act 29). A-Plus Statement To Police On September 5, 2017 A-Plus responded to an invitation by the police to give his statement on the allegation. In his statement, the musician, who is now the special aide to Dr. Felix Anyah, Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), denied accusing the two deputy chiefs of staff as thieves, but stood by the allegation of corruption against them. Giving reasons for his allegation, A-Plus said the acting CEO, having known him for the past six years, particularly requested him (A-Plus) to seek public and the staff perception about the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital with the view of putting corrective measures in place to resolve them. On his maiden familiarization tour of the hospital facilities, A-Plus said he accompanied the CEO on his rounds and it was observed that the hospital has no knowledge of actual revenue collected for a day or a period because the financial institutions Stanbic Bank Limited and uniBank Ghana Limited that do the collections, do not credit the accounts of the hospital on the same day. The banks decide how much to be credited to the hospital's accounts and there is no way the hospital can confirm total collections for the day or at any given period and due to the fact that there is no interface between the two banks that are doing the billing and the collections, revenue leakages continue to occur at the hospital, A-Plus indicated. According to him, in his later discussions with the management, it became apparent that an efficient Hospital Management Information System (HMIS), which links units and equipment such as X-Rays, CT scan, and laboratory to indicate actual services rendered and how much is charged for each service was needed by the hospital to stop the revenue leakages to improve KBTH finances. He said based on the decision by the management of the hospital in June 2017 which he was part of the CEO directed the head of legal department to write to uniBank to cancel the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the bank. On July 12, 2017 a letter terminating the agreement between KBTH and uniBank was sent to the bank giving them a 90-day notice after they had detected several weaknesses from the bank's past operations at the Police and Ridge Hospitals, referencing a letter from the deputy controller and accountant general that suggested that Unibank was inefficient in its operations. According to A-Plus, when the letter to the bank intended to cancel the MoU was delivered, the two deputy chiefs of staff called him and the CEO severally, asking the CEO to withdraw the cancellation of the MoU because uniBank had supported the New Patriotic Party (NPP) financially during the campaign period. He therefore concluded that in his personal opinion, Francis Asenso-Boakye and Samuel A. Jinapor, who are government officials, had taken advantage of their position to favour a private business entity. CEO's Testimony Police investigations were extended to Dr. Felix Anyah, the CEO, by the investigators and were met together with three management members in his office. According to him, on assumption of office after his appointment on June 1, 2017, he met the management to look into issues confronting the hospital and also find ways of improving the management and for the hospital to give quality health-care and also improve the fortunes of the hospital. He said he first of all observed that there were revenue leakages, no beds at the emergency department, malfunctioning of life support equipment and poor supply of oxygen, among others. The management at a meeting, therefore agreed for the use of ICT software to electronically manage the process, he said. Dr Anyah stated in his statement that another issue that came out during their meeting was the use of two banks operating without an interface system to communicate, worked against the interest of the hospital and needed to select one efficient bank to help resolve the lapses and weakness in managing the revenue mobilization at the hospital. Management, however, thought it will be in the interest of the public if one Bank (Stanbic Bank) does the collections and so a termination letter was sent to uniBank but before they could respond to the letter, calls started coming in from influential persons asking him to withdraw the termination letter. The acting CEO said no reasons were given except that he should withdraw the letter. Notable among the callers were the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, John Peter Amewu; Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu; Deputy Chiefs of Staff Francis Asenso-Boakye and Samuel Abu Jinapor. Abu Jinapor's Testimony On September 7, 2017, Messrs Francis Asenso-Boakye and Abu Jinapor responded to police invitation where Jinapor said he received a complaint from the CEO of uniBank that the contract with KBTH had been abrogated in favour of a wholly foreign owned bank to do cash collection at the hospital. He said uniBank was not given any opportunity to demonstrate its ability to also use electronic means to collect cash for the hospital as given by Stanbic Bank. Abu Jinapor said uniBank further stated that it had already invested about GH1.4 million at KBTH and thought the bank had not been treated fairly and thought the complaint could reach the chief of staff through the office of the deputy chief of staff. Mr Jinapor said on receipt of the complaint, he called Dr. Anyah to seek clarity on the complaint but the CEO responded by saying he was at a programme at Sogakope and that he would call back, but never did. He added that he was therefore compelled to inform the Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, and his colleague Francis Asenso-Boakye about the complaint from uniBank. Asenso-Boakye's Testimony Francis Asenso-Boakye also stated that in July 2017, he was informed by his colleague, Samuel Jinapor of a complaint by uniBank against Korle-Bu for abrogating a contract between uniBank and KBTH and called the CEO to confirm the matter. He said he only sought to draw the CEO's attention that abrogating a contract was a major decision and that the CEO should have waited until there was a board in place but never put pressure on the CEO as stated. uniBank's Statement The team finally met officials of uniBank at its head office and met the Executive Director, Ekow Nyarko Dadzie-Dennis, and the Legal Team. The bank revealed that before the current administration, there was an MoU between them and KBTH for cash collection and had invested GH1.4m at the hospital It said in July 2017, uniBank received a letter from KBTH terminating an MoU between them and gave a 90-day notice to wind up without any reason. Officials narrated that apart from the initial teething problem during the implementation, KBTH never officially complained to uniBank of any challenge as far as the billing and cash collections were concerned, adding that the bank was not treated fairly. It claimed copies of its letters were sent to the vice president, the chief of staff, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Health and the Controller and Accountant's General Department to intervene to allow uniBank to do the cash collection because of investment they had put in at the hospital. Findings The investigators, after contacting the parties involved, established that there was an MoU between KBTH and uniBank before the CEO of KBTH, Dr. Felix Anyah took office. Investigations revealed that there were no discussions between the CEO of the hospital and the two deputy chiefs of staff to explain to the latter the rationale for opting for Stanbic Bank instead of uniBank and that the call by the two deputy chief of staff to intervene was based on a letter from uniBank copied to the office of the chief of staff which was very consistent with the work of the office of the chief of staff and by extension, the deputy chiefs of staff. By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey ([email protected]) President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has reiterated his government's commitment to improving the country's agriculture, especially the cocoa sub-sector, through the mass spraying exercise and provision of subsidized fertilizers to farmers. According to the president, Ghana will soon regain her pride of place in the cocoa industry with deliberate policies and measures aimed at boosting production. Speaking at a grand durbar to celebrate Cocoa Day in Kumasi yesterday, President Akufo-Addo indicated that as part of the policy to increase production, the government had taken away the oversight responsibility of the cocoa industry from the Ministry of Finance. The ceremony was under the theme, 70 Years on: Mobilizing for a Sustainable Cocoa Economy, with the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, being named as Cocoa Consumption Ambassador. President Akufo-Addo revealed that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has now been made responsible for all matters relating to the cocoa industry for effective formulation of relevant policies required to boost agriculture and cocoa production. Today, one of the greatest threats in the cocoa industry in our country is not disease or death; price volatility on the international cocoa market represents, perhaps, the biggest threat to our cocoa. The prices of cocoa are forecast to remain low till the year 2020, President Akufo-Addo disclosed. He stated that the fortunes of the country's cocoa farmers unfortunately have become tied to the volatile cocoa beans market. He explained that this accounted for the cooperation between Ghana and her sister nation, Cote dIvoire the two largest cocoa producers in the world to ensure that they do not continue to be victims of trade of the global cocoa industry to the detriment of the hard work of the two countries' farmers. I have, since assuming office, worked closely with His Excellency Alassane Dramane Ouattara, President of the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire, to provide the necessary leadership, and technical and political cooperation that addresses effectively the international cocoa pricing from short to medium term, he pointed out. President Akufo-Addo said the two countries were fashioning a far-reaching policy towards achieving a shared vision of an industrialized and profitable domestic cocoa economy. Together, Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire account for more than 60 percent of the world cocoa output. Ghana, for example, earned US$2 billion for the sale of cocoa beans in the year 2015. Cote d'Ivoire earned US$3.7 billion, he revealed. According to the president, the two put together, amounted to US$5.7 billion and yet the total proceed realized from the global value of cocoa amounted to US$100 billion, pointing out that that translated to 5.7 percent received, despite the hard work and sweat of the nations' farmers. President Akufo-Addo said that could not be allowed to continue since it constitutes a manifest injustice to the producers, and intimated further that Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire need to device ways to ensure that farmers reap much better value from their activities. He disclosed that he had asked the Minister of Food and Agriculture to direct the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) to work towards increasing domestic processing of cocoa beans from the current levels to a minimum of 50 percent annual production by 2020. In the president's view, this would increase significantly Ghana's export revenues and foreign exchange earnings from cocoa. He stated that this should go beyond grinding of the cocoa beans to tertiary manufacturing for local consumption. Chocolate and cocoa products from Ghana should be readily accessible anywhere on the globe. As part of the 'one district, one factory' programme, Cocobod and other private sector activists will roll out programmes that create small scale cocoa processing industries across the cocoa growing districts of our country, he underscored. President Akufo-Addo challenged the country's youth to take advantage of the opportunities that will be made available. The export market, nonetheless, should be focused with the processing of the cocoa, he asserted and added that this ought to be done alongside the promotion of the nutritional and health benefits of cocoa consumption. The celebration attracted top government officials and other international high-profile personalities, including the President of the World Cocoa Foundation, Richard Scobey and representatives of the International Cocoa Organisation. From Ernest Kofi Adu, Kumasi The much-anticipated oral examination of Alfred Agbesi Woyome, embattled National Democratic Congress (NDC) businessman and financier, by the Attorney General (AG), could not come off yesterday. This is because the sole judge presiding over the case at the Supreme Court was indisposed, DAILY GUIDE has gathered. The Attorney General was expected to resume oral examination of the NDC financier over the GH51.2 million he fraudulently collected from the state. Mr. Woyome and his lawyer were also nowhere near the court, signaling that they might have been pre-informed that the judge was indisposed. The oral examination has been rescheduled for October 10, 2017. In July, this year the Deputy Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, began an inquiry into the sources of income and assets of Mr Woyome in order to recover the fraudulent judgement debt he collected from the state. At the last hearing of the case, which lasted for almost two hours, Mr. Woyome argued that it was an error for the Attorney General to haul him before the Supreme Court. He said there was already a payment plan between him and the AG and wondered why he was before the apex court for grilling. He also prayed the Supreme Court to stay proceedings on the oral examination since he had filed for a review of the case. Mr. Woyome indicated that since 2012 he had not been in business, claiming that he had lost all his businesses after his arrest in 2011 and subsequent trial, indicating that he spent all his time in court to the detriment of his businesses. In an answer to a question on Anator Holding Company Limited, Mr Agbesi Woyome said he is a shareholder of the company, although he could not remember his percentage share. Touching on his possible landed properties in the country, the deputy AG was sure that the Abelemkpe and Kokomlemle houses belong to him (Woyome). Woyome averred, I own the Kokomlemle house together with my family; you cannot say that for the Abelemkpe house. He insisted that the Abelemkpe house belongs to his brother in America. It's a house owned by my junior brother in America who made it available for the use of the family for a year now, he asserted. Mr. Yeboah Dame, as a result, urged Justice Benin to compel Woyome to produce the documents on the said house pursuant to Order 46 Rule 1 of the High Court Civil Procedures CI 47. By Gibril Abdul Razak Local Governance Think Tank, Centre for Local Governance Advocacy, has called for sanctions against the Northern Regional Coordinating Council for demanding five thousand Ghana cedis each from the 26 assemblies in the region, to support the President's tour of the area this week. Speaking to Citi News, the Deputy Executive Director of the Centre, Gladys Naadu Tetteh, said the demands from the Coordinating Council were unfortunate, and steps must be taken to discourage such a practice from becoming the norm. According to her, when the president visits MMDAs, they often overspend and in several cases overstate their expenditure. Per the new local government Act, the Regional Coordinating Councils (RCCs), are supposed to receive a percentage of the Common Fund to undertake their activities. She insisted that, if the president is coming to their region, the RCCs should use their percentage of the common fund and not burden the districts. When the president visits MMDAs, they overspend and even though sometimes they spend much less, they quote higher figures. So even though the RCC directive to the MMDA is not good, for me I think we should discourage that. Definitely, the presidency has their budget. This is coming from the RCC. It is the RCC which is the coordinating body within the region which is asking the Assemblies to pay. Per the new Local Government Act, they are supposed to get a percentage of the common fund to undertake their activities or operations. So they should not burden the assemblies with all their other expenses, she said. Probably because the president would be moving through the district, you know the assembly too would be a little petty probably (that's what I suspect), that's why this amount of money is being requested. If they have received it and the letter has gone to them then the RCC needs to be talked to, I wont use the word sanctioned, but I think they need to be talked to, to take a second look at some of the things they are doing in the region, she added. Salifu Saeed, Northern Regional Minister 'Don't pay for President's trips' Meanwhile, the Northern Regional Minister, Salifu Saeed, has directed all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the region to disregard a circular which requested them to pay Ghc5,000 each to fund President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's three-day official visit beginning October 6. The Minister in an official statement copied to citifmonline. com implied that, his office did not endorse the earlier memo. The statement however admitted that, the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives' caucus in the region, voluntarily made the earlier proposal which his office did not endorse. Salifu Saeed has therefore dismissed the earlier memo which went viral on both mainstream and social media. According to him, the President's trip is to be fully sponsored by the Presidency. The Local Government Ministry has also denied asking the Regional Coordinating Council; to contribute that amount after it emerged that a circular had been sent to all district assemblies. By: Michael Ogbodu /citifmonline.com/Ghana The Managing Director of Energy Bank has kicked against segmentation of the minimum capital requirement directive for commercial banks by the Bank of Ghana (BoG). Christiana Olaoye said there is a need for a leveled-playing field so the argument about special banks meeting a lower capital requirement should not be an issue for debate. Her comments follow a directive by the Bank of Ghana (BoG), commercial banks in the country would have to increase their capital levels from the current 120 million to 400 million by December 2018. Speaking to JoyBusiness on the sidelines of the launch of the banks customer service week celebration, the Nigerian said she has seen a similar development in her native country where the same argument was put forth about. "In that era, we had the number of banks reduced from about 100 to 22 and is currently 23. If you want to make it a level playing field, make it a level playing field and the issue of segmentation does not arise," she stressed. "If banks want to play in the smaller segment, they can become micro-finance institutions or savings and loans institutions," adding these have been already taken care of in the financial inclusion system and the issue of segmentation has already been taken care of. She, however, indicated that measures are being put in place to ensure the bank meets the new capital requirement latest by September 2018 and may also consider mergers should the need arise. Madam Olaoye disclosed that the bank held a meeting Board meeting two weeks ago and the issue of the new capital level was top on the agenda. "The Board is aware and they have indicated that they will bring an additional capital and they are opening up room for additional investors who want to bring in new capital. "We are assuring our customers that definitely, we will be one of the banks that will meet the 400 million minimum capital requirement from December 2018," she said. According to her, the bank may not wait until December 2018 as it is working to with a September 2018 deadline with June 2018 likely to be when they will get the required funds. She said they have opened their doors to other investors who want to come in through mergers or by acquiring one or two smaller banks. Story by Ghana| Myjoyonline | Sarah Amelley Djosu| Joy Business Member of Parliament for Subin Constituency, Hon Eugene Boakye Antwi has called for arrest of Kwame Asare Obeng popularly called A-Plus over a leaked audio tape alleged to be a conversation between him and CID boss, ACP Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah. The Subin law maker who described the conduct of A-Plus as criminal, cruel and unethical in Ghana said the leaking of the audio on the social media has brought the professional integrity of the Officer to disrepute and for that matter must be arrested and dealt according to the law of Ghana. As a country we must be able to distinguish between what is good and what is right, what A-Plus has done is criminal and as such must be arrested. How can you record a senior Police officer, he fumed. He must be arrested and dealt with according to the laws of the land because this is not done anywhere and no serious society will entertain that, he stressed. A-Plus took to Facebook earlier this month to accuse President Akufo-Addos two Deputy Chiefs of Staff, Francis Asenso-Boakye, and Abu Jinapor of being corrupt. President Akufo-Addo subsequently ordered the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service to conduct an investigation into the matter. The department, after its investigations, said it found A-Plus claims to be baseless, but A-Plus in a subsequent media interaction expressed his disagreement with the report. A leaked audio tape later emerged with a conversation between A-Plus and a senior CID officer in which the officer supposedly indicated to A-Plus that the report was skewed to favour the government officials. The CID officer in the tape, whos the Deputy Director of the CID, ACP Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah, later claimed that the tape was doctored, adding that A-Plus had threatened to blackmail her. Speaking on Otec FM, Hon. Eugene Boakye Antwi emphasised that the conduct of A-Plus is a depravity and indecency to the country. If he was able to record a senior CID officer who can become an IGP tomorrow, he can go and record the President." 03.10.2017 LISTEN Dubai, UAE October 3, 2017: Ring , the leader in home security, announced that it is making a foray into the Middle East market and will make its debut at GITEX Technology Week 2017. The company will use the exhibition as a platform to unveil its latest suite of smart home security products such as Ring Video Doorbell, Ring Video Doorbell Pro, Video Doorbell Elite, Ring Floodlight Cam and the new Ring Spotlight Cam in addition to announcing new partnerships across the region. Ring re-imagined the doorbell so consumers could respond using a smartphone to someone at their front door from anyplace, anytime. Ring's mission is to reduce crime in neighborhoods and empower consumers by creating a Ring of Security around homes and communities with our suite of smart home security products. Since its launch in 2012, the company has grown tremendously and our products are well accepted in the US and other global markets. After our global success, we are looking to replicate this in this region as well and GITEX Technology Week 2017, being the biggest technology exhibition, is the best platform to make our Middle East debut, says Mohammad Meraj Hoda, Managing Director of Ring. Rings mission is simple: to reduce crime in neighborhoods. Rings products globally have been hailed as dependable second set of eyes and ears to deter would-be thieves from entering their homes, and it has been proven that Ring doorbells can reduce crime by up to 55% in neighborhoods across the US, and the goal is to bring the same convenience and security to the Middle East neighborhoods. With the UAE witnessing a positive growth of the property sector with many developers focusing on building master-planned communities, we believe that the time is right for Ring to introduce its products and solutions to the Middle East market. At GITEX, we want to create awareness of our brand and products, demonstrate how our products can reduce crime, and meet with channel partners and sign on strong partners to expand our market reach. We are confident that our smart home security products will be well accepted in this region, Mr. Hoda adds. Ring will be showcasing Ring Video Doorbell, Ring Video Doorbell Pro, Video Doorbell Elite, Ring Floodlight Cam and the new Ring Spotlight Cam at GITEX, which will create the neighborhood watch for the digital age and continue to keep homes in the Middle East safe. Senior executives from the company will be available at Hall No. CLD-24, Stand No. 6 to meet with customers and partners and share their global success stories with them. Members of the Takoradi Technical University (TTU) chapter of the Technical University Teachers' Association (TUTAG), are up-in-arms against the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) for allegedly breaching the Technical University Act, 2016 (Act 922). According to the TUTAG members, the NCTE had submitted a draft document to the Governing Council of each technical university demanding that there should be harmonized statutes for technical universities. NCTE is also demanding that there should be harmonized scheme of service for staff of technical universities and harmonized conditions of service for senior and junior members, as well as staff. It has further directed the Governing Councils of the technical universities that no substantive appointments would be made to positions in the technical universities until the proposed 'harmonized statutes' have been approved. This move, according to members of the TTU, is contrary to the Act that established the technical universities since the Governing Councils were those mandated to enact statutes and to ensure the implementation of the Act. Addressing a press conference yesterday on the issue, Peter Awini, TUTAG President of Takoradi Technical University, claimed that the NCTE played a key role towards the enactment of the Technical Universities Act which provides sufficient legal framework for the conversion of polytechnics to technical universities in Ghana. He emphasised that the Technical Universities Act did not enjoin all the universities to enact harmonized statutes, agree on harmonized conditions of service or institute harmonized scheme of service for staff. The Governing Council of a Technical University is the body responsible for enacting statutes to ensure implementation of the Act, he stressed. He noted that the NCTE's directive regarding the enactment of 'harmonized' statutes of a technical university contravenes Section 26 of the Act which confers the power to enact statutes to ensure implementation of the Act on the Council of each technical university. So even if an interim council of polytechnic converted to a technical university approved statutes in accordance with the Technical Universities Act, those statutes have the same effect as if done by the current Councils, he added. Mr Awini therefore, threatened that members of TUTAG would resort to the law court for the matter to be settled, if the NCTE did not rescind its directives. From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kyerematen, has indicated that government is in the process of vigorously decentralizing the distribution of heavy-duty equipment or machineries to all 216 districts nationwide. The Minister was speaking on Monday in Accra during a brief swearing-in ceremony of a seven-member governing board for the Ghana Heavy Equipment Limited (GHEL). Members of the GHEL Board include Yaw Ntow Ababio, who doubles as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GHEL; Dr. Kwabena Twum-Nuamah, Robert Bediako Asare, Dorothy Ama Amponsah, Alhaji Alidu Abukari, Prince Opoku Edusei and Chairman of the Board, Yaw Asuo Banim. According to the Minister, the move is to ensure that every district in the country has ample access to equipment, especially agricultural machineries, to fast-track their developmental agenda. He said government, through the Ministries of Food and Agriculture, Trade and Industry and other agencies and departments, shall identify private businessmen who will establish mechanization centres across the country to aid the decentralization process. The Minister further indicated that an assembling plant was going to be established for agricultural machineries, urging the new board to take advantage of the opportunity to make GHEL one of the vibrant state enterprises. I want your name to start coming up as a leading equipment company, according to Mr. Kyeremanten. Touching on the operations of GHEL over the years, Mr Kyeremanten said that the company has not optimized its real potential. He urged members of the new board to use their expertise to provide the needed strategic direction to get the company to contribute meaningfully to national development. Chairman of the Board, Mr Asuo Banim, also thanked President Akufo-Addo and Mr. Kyeremanten for reposing trust in them. He said the board would use all resources at their disposal to improve the company to serve the needs of its clients. GHEL is a limited liability company, solely owned by the Government Ghana. It was initially the Heavy Equipment Division of the erstwhile Ghana National Trading Corporation. GHEL is involved in the sale and service of construction and mining equipment, agricultural tractors and implements, generator sets and automobiles. Motorists may have to endure the poor state of our roads a little longer because funds accruing to the Road Fund are being used to service a loan. According to Deputy Road and Highways Minister, Anthony Karbo, the Ministry is unable to access the Fund as a result of the decision of the previous administration to use it as collateral for a GHE1.5billion loan it contracted from United Bank for Africa (UBA) last year. Mr. Karbo disclosed on the Super Morning Show on Joy FM, Tuesday, October 3, 2017, the loan was contracted by the John Mahama-led administration to pay debts owed to contractors who had built some roads. As part of the deal, the total annual regular inflow of GHE1.2biilion into the road Fund is to be used to finance the loan, leaving the sector Ministry no access to road tolls, taxes and axle load fees paid into the Fund by motorists. The loan agreement, according to Mr. Karbo, was ratified by Parliament some six months to the elections in 2016. The state of many of the country's roads has continuously deteriorated while the motorists continue to pay for using such roads, some of which have become death traps and the cause deadly crashes. But the new government in July said it met no money in the Fund to enable it to undertake maintenance works on roads including the Accra-Tema motorway constructed over half a century ago. Mr. Karbo said the Ministry has so far settled GHE750million of the loan and expects the full amount to be paid by August 2018. The Ghana Road Fund was established in 1985 to provide a secure source of funding for preservation of Ghanas road network. It was restructured under the Road Fund Act, Act 536, 1997. The sources of revenue into the Fund are derived from levies on petroleum products, bridges, ferries and road tolls collected by the Highway Authority. Other sources of funding include; vehicle License and inspection fees; international transit fees, collected from foreign vehicles entering the country. Monies collected are channelled into the Road Fund accounts established for the purpose. These sources yield an average of GHE1.2billion each year but the Deputy Minister appears amazed as to why the previous regime would commit itself to road projects costing GHE17billion consequently compelling it to collateralise the Road Fund for a loan. We get 1.2bn [cedis] but we have commitments of 17bn cedis that we have to pay; where are we going to get that money from? The Deputy Minister complained that: The entire Roads Ministry is saddled with a lot of financial challenges. However, Mr. Karbo said the current administration is determined to fix the challenge indicating that maintenance works on some major roads including the motorway would likely start by the end of October. I am aware of discussions ongoing for Ministry of Finance to release some funds so that we can get underway with some maintenance works. Theres some work going on to deal with the problem of the motorway once and for all and its one of the top priorities of the government, Mr. Karbo assured. He told the host of the programme, Kojo Yankson that the Government in the process of redesigning [into six lanes] and looking for partners to take up the project fully. Play attached audio to listen to the discussion with also had contributions from legal practitioners Samson Lardi Anyenini and Ace Annan Ankoma: Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Jerry Tsatro Mordy | Email: [email protected], Twitter: @jerrymordy The Ghana Health Service (GHS), in collaboration with Ghana Education Service (GES), will today commence the annual national mass drug administration (MDA) exercise to deworm about 1.3million school children in 8,200 schools across the country. The MDA which will also be done in communities in 47 selected districts is expected to deworm children against intestinal worm and schistosomiasis (bilharzias) infestation to improve the health status of pupils. Dr Benjamin Kofi Marfo, Deputy Programme Manager, Neglected Tropical Disease Programme, stated that the implementation of the programme has, over the years, prevented millions of children from the effects of worm infestation. He said the children will be given the two medications for intestinal worm and schistosomiasis (bilharzias) infestation according to their height and weight, adding that volunteers will be seen in the various public schools administering the medicine to children. Dr Anthony Nsiah Asare, Director General of GHS, said in a speech read on his behalf at a media briefing that intestinal worm and schistosomiasis have been identified as the main cause of malnutrition, reduction in cognitive development and impediment in concentration in class among pupils, hence the exercise to rid their system off the worms and infestations. It is worth noting that the distribution of drugs to school age children to prevent and treat worms and bilharzia will improve their health and wellbeing and prevent the negative effects of diseases like malnutrition, anemia, and growth retardation among others, he mentioned. Dr Angela Tina Mensah, Acting Director of Secondary Education at the GES, stated that sensitisation has gone round the various beneficiary schools on the exercise, adding that the smooth implementation of the exercises will, in the long run, benefit the school. I want to encourage school heads to help facilitate the exercise by organising the children when the volunteers come around to administer the medication, she said. Dr Joyce Aryee, NTD Ambassador, also encouraged parents to allow their children to participate in the nationwide exercise which will improve their health and well-being. She said the exercise is to benefit the children, thus, any hindrance of the children from partaking in the activity will go against overall goal of ensure a worm infestation-free society. She also asked parents to give their children enough food during the exercise to make the programme a success. Schistosomiasis and intestinal worm are part of the 17 Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), of which 12 can be found in Ghana. Presently, the GHS through the Neglected Tropical Programmes offers treatment to five of the disease which include elephantiasis, trachoma, schistosomiasis, intestinal worms and onchocerciasis. Schistosomiasis, commonly known as bilharzias, is a chronic disease contracted due to contact with contaminated freshwater, it is transmitted by a parasite called schistosoma. Intestinal worm, commonly referred to as soil-transmitted helminthes, is found at places with poor environmental sanitation where the soils are contaminated with human excreta. ACP David Eklu 03.10.2017 LISTEN The Director-General in-charge of Public Affairs of the Ghana Police Service, ACP David Eklu, says his outfit is determined to attain its vision of becoming a world-class police service. He pointed out that the police service would deliver services to meet international standards. ACP Eklu also revealed that the police administration would collaborate with the media to enhance policing in Ghana. To this end, he stressed that the police service would soon launch guidelines on how to communicate effectively with the media to reach out to the public and tackle crime in Ghana. ACP Eklu disclosed this when he interacted with some journalists in the Western Region to outline the vision of the police administration, among others, as part of his three-day working visit to the region. He underscored the important role the media plays in good policing and stressed that without the media, the police would not be able to operate effectively. He added, So there is no need for a police officer and a journalist to fight as they complement each other. He revealed that the service was developing media guidelines which would enhance communication between the media and Police. The police administration is making strategic restructuring which would, among other things, give specialised training to journalists on correct crime reporting and community policing, he added. He stressed that the Police Service would improve its investigative mechanisms and the Motor Traffic and Transport Department so that the officers in the unit would act more professionally, as well as introduce technology to support investigations, data collection and analysis. ACP Eklu entreated journalists to take pictures of police officers who extort money from drivers. The Director-General, who welcomed constructive criticisms from the media, assured the general public of maximum protection and security and promised that the law would deal with officers who drag the name of the Service into disrepute. ACP Eklu, who was accompanied by the Western Regional Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Olivia Ewurabena Adiku, earlier visited personnel of the Marine Police in Takoradi to get first-hand information about the operations there. He also addressed the audience at a town hall meeting on behalf of the Inspector General of Police on illegal mining at Wassa Akropong. The smuggling of refined petroleum products by some unscrupulous individuals under the pretext of exporting them to neighbouring countries has become major concern for all stakeholders in the industry. The illegal activity is said to be known to some security operatives at the various fuel depots, but nothing significant has been done to tackle it due to the parochial interests of certain people. Investigations by DAILY GUIDE at Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) have helped to expose the lucrative illegal activity. The products are smuggled into tanker yards at Kpone and Tema in the Greater Accra Region with false documents and number plates. According to sources, the smugglers, after loading their trucks, move into the yards where they discharge the products into 13,5000-litre capacity trucks with the use of pumping machines. They change the number plates of the trucks bound for Togo, Burkina Faso and Mali immediately after loading and discharging the products into other trucks. They sometimes collect the invoices and send them to the border area for stamping with the help of some customs officers. The fuel smuggling is prevalent at TOR, Fuel Trade, Chase Petroleum, Cirious and Accra Plans Depot (APD) of BOST. A source indicated that immediately some suspects were arrested, the smugglers adopted new tactics. The unscrupulous people, under the pretext of supplying fuel to vessels at the country's ports, divert them to yards for sale. Deep throat sources at TOR told DAILY GUIDE that as much as 40 trucks with fake foreign number plates load fuel mostly on Saturdays and holidays at night. Some senior staff of the country's only refinery are said to be involved in the illegal activities. Some officials sign delivery orders and liaison officers also collect and distribute them to the drivers. Until a serious reshuffle is conducted at TOR, including the delivery manager, customs officers and people around Mr Isaac Osei, who is not unaware of what is going on, the State will continue to lose. Mr Osei is too weak and needs to do reshuffle at TOR to save the nation because most staff are complaining but cannot tell him, the source said. Staff of the refinery said the haulage tankers are owned by a cartel made up of politicians, especially members of NDC and well-connected business people, who have been licensed by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA). Reports indicate that government risks losing GH1.5 billion Ghana cedis to fuel smuggling this year. But for the smuggling of fuel, Ghana would have gained more than GH5 billion in revenue in 2017. Last year, Ghana lost an estimated GH800 million in 2016 as a result of smuggling, and even though we are only halfway through the year, conservative figures released by the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC) suggest that the nation risks losing a staggering GH1.5 billion this year if we continue to turn a blind eye to the issue, Bulk Oil Distribution Companies and Oil Marketing Companies have complained that aside revenue losses to the state, the smuggling of fuel negatively affect their operations. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Association of Oil Marketing Companies, Kwaku Agyeman Duah, said the criminal activity resulted in a 15 percent loss of volumes to his members last year. Since April, this year, the OMCs have been threatening to sack workers at the filling stations and other offices. The source stated that to tackle the menace, all trucks must be escorted to their destinations with the help of security officers. Licenses to exporters should be scrutinized, with proper audit and enforcement of proper electronic tracking of fuel to the neighbouring landlocked countries. Tracking devices must be installed on all export bulk road vehicles, the source indicated. Ussif Mustapha, Acting Executive Director of the National Service Scheme (NSS), has conducted members of the re-constituted Board of Directors of the scheme round some of its projects during a familiarization tour in Accra. The Acting Executive Director was accompanied on the tour by Deputy Executive Directors, Nana Boakye and Gifty Oware Aboagye, as well as other senior staff of the NSS. The delegation inspected the stalled GHc1.6 million water project at Medie in the Ga West Municipal of the Greater Accra Region. According to the project engineer, Gordian Wononuah, the plant, when completed, will have the capacity to produce about 22,000 bottles of water a day. At the Haatso, Papao Farms in the La-Nkwantanang Madina Municipality, Cyril Tettey-Enyo, Farm Manager indicated that the project comprises livestock and aqua-culture. According to him, the mixed farm produces about 450 rabbits, 960 layers, 250 pigs and up to 3,000 catfish annually. Mr. Tettey-Enyo called for more resources to boost work on the feed production unit of the farm. He further called on management to help improve the quality of livestock breeds at the rabbitry and piggery in order to satisfy current market demands. Board Prof Kofi Osei-Akuoko, Board Chairman, who was impressed by the efforts of management to execute the various projects, called for a plan that will guide the board. He gave assurance that all projects will be re-activated, adding that the projects fall in line with the President's policies of One District, One Factory and 'Planting for Food and Jobs.' Can you image the huge employment opportunities that will open for people who are at various levels; let us put our heads together and make these projects work, he stated He urged National Service personnel to take advantage of the rich experience that abound on the various farms to establish businesses after the service. Issuance of Certificates In a related development, the management of NSS has called on the 2015/16 National Service personnel to contact the various NSS Regional Secretariats from Wednesday, October 4, 2017 with valid NSS identification or National Identification Cards to collect their certificates. THE DEPUTY Minister of Environment, Science and Technology and Innovation, Mrs. Patricia Appiagyei, has disclosed that government is finalising a strategic plan to address the country's sanitation challenges. According to her, the strategic plan will involve the full participation of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in its implementation. She was optimistic the strategic plan would help Ghana effectively manage waste, and would also go a long way to improve the sanitation situation to make Ghana one of the cleanest countries. Delivering a keynote address as the Special Guest at the 'Voice For Change (V4C)' partnership programme organized by SNV in Accra dubbed 'Building Vibrant CSOs for Advocacy', Mrs. Appiagyei further revealed that as part of the plan, government will construct waste management plants in some parts of the country. Touching on post-harvest losses, the Deputy Minister mentioned Planting for Food and Jobs as one of government's efforts in tackling the country's food security, improve nutrition and minimize post-harvest loses. She noted that government will continue to improve investment in the promotion of clean cooking system for the benefit of the lower income class, believing that it will save lives, prevent the forest from further degradation and reduce the burden of smoke inhaled diseases in households. For his part, H.E Ron Strikker, the Ambassador of the Royal Kingdom of the Netherlands called on government to continue to create the enabling environment for Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to operate without any hindrance. According to him, when CSOs are supported with the required capital and given the opportunity to criticise policies of government through dialogue, it will facilitate change and development in most sectors of the economy. Civil Society is the voice of the citizens and when they make government accountable it will bring about much development, make democracy stronger and make the country better. The ambassador believed that advocacy has become a fulcrum of change in most areas of development across the globe, adding that The Voice For Change is a typical example that SNV and its partners have put together to ensure change in key areas of the country. Mr. Eric Z. Banye, Country Programme Coordinator of SNV in his speech indicated that through the 'Voice for Change Partnership' (V4CP) programme, SNV supports CSOs to foster collaboration among relevant stakeholders, influence agenda-setting and hold the government and private sector accountable for their promises and actions. By Vincent Kubi A youth group calling itself Concerned Denkyira New Patriotic Party (NPP) Youth in Twifo Hemang Lower Denkyira District in the Central Region, has warned the Deputy Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Bright Wereko Brobbey to desist from attacking the District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area. The Deputy Minister who doubles as the Member of Parliament for the area is alleged to be creating division in the party which would ultimately affect the performance of the NPP in the area. This is contained in a press statement signed by the president of the group, Osei Boateng and copied to the Chief of Staff, Central Regional Minister, Regional Chairman of the NPP, Constituency Chairman, District Police, DCE and the MP. It outlines chronology of events that according to the group has given credence to the fact that everything that has been happening in the district as well as the constituency is masterminded by the MP since 2008 The group alleged that Mr. Wereko Brobbey after losing the 2008 NPP primaries went as an independent candidate against NPP's preferred choice and even organized thugs to hoot at Nana Addo, the then Presidential candidate. In the interest of peace the party forgave him and accepted him back after he lost the 2008 elections. The evidence is that Nana Addo has appointed him as the deputy minister for employment, it said. According to the press statement, Mr Wereko Brobbey has shown and continues to show that he has not changed. It explained that, when the current MP lost the Parliamentary election in 2012, he refused to campaign for the elected candidate but rather sabotaged him with all sorts of evil machinations. Indeed he was able to achieve his selfish ambition as the party lost the seat to NDC. He has shown that if it is not him or anybody from Twifo Hemang then it should not be any one else it said. The group said that, to show his hatred to the DCE and his mission to make him unpopular in the eyes of the people in the district, the MP organized his boys from Hemang to demonstrate against the DCE during assembly sitting. They are therefore calling on the Central Regional Minister, Kwamina Duncan as a matter of urgency to call the MP to order for peace to prevail in the district. Geneva (AFP) - The World Health Organization said Tuesday there was a "moderate risk" that a plague outbreak in Madagascar would spread to other countries in the region, but advised against travel restrictions. The outbreak of both bubonic plague, which is spread by infected rats via flea bites, and pneumonic plague, spread person to person, has infected 133 people, killing 24 of them, since August 1, according to WHO numbers. Madagascar has suffered plague outbreaks almost every year since 1980, often caused by rats fleeing forest fires. But WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier told reporters the current outbreak had more potential than most to spread further in Madagascar since it has already affected large urban areas, including the capital Antananarivo. Pneumonic plague, though rarer on the island, spreads more easily, he said, pointing out that 17 of the deaths recorded so far were due to the respiratory version of the disease. "The overall risk of further spread at the national level is high," Lindmeier said. At the regional level, the risk was "moderate due to frequent flights to neighbouring Indian Ocean islands", he said. But the risk of a more international spread of the disease was "low", he said. For this reason, Lindmeier said the WHO was for now advising against slapping any travel or trade restrictions on Madagascar. The plague is a highly infectious disease that has killed millions of people across the world in the past before being largely wiped out. Pneumonic plague can kill quickly, within 18-24 hours of infection if left untreated, but common antibiotics can cure it if they are given early on. The WHO stressed that most people can recover from the plague if they are rapidly treated and urged anyone in the affected areas who notice respiratory symptoms to seek treatment, which is being provided for free. Accra, Oct. 3, CDA Consult The Ghana Oil Company Limited (GOIL) the foremost indigenous Oil Marketing Company in the Country has donated 70 specialized Road Barrier Equipment to the Sekondi- Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly. The Road Barrier Equipment are to help the Metropolitan Assembly and Security Officials control road traffic and assist in general road safety management at the Airport Round About and the Central Business District of the Port City. The Donation was in response to appeals for support to help control traffic, unauthorized Parking and general vehicular congestion in the twin city. GOILs Zonal Manager, West, Mr. Enoch Bimpong who presented the equipment to the Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly, underscored the importance the company attaches to safety hoping it will assist the assembly to reduce congestion in the city. He said GOIL has taken steps to significantly enhance the quality of its petroleum products and explained that its fuel additive, XP3 ensures stronger performance of vehicle engines. Mr. Bimpong gave the assurance that GOIL, as a local marketing company would continue to sell its products at reasonably cheaper prices and encouraged increased patronage to sustain it on the path of growth and profitability. That, he noted, was the way to go to enable the company to support the local economy and live up to its corporate social responsibility. The Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr. Kobina Sam was grateful to GOIL for the gesture. I would like to believe that no patriotic Ghanaian will ever shrill and thrill over the spate of sleazes and corruption in the country. It would appear that in Ghana, the justice system more often than not, descends heavily on goat, cassava and plantain thieves, and let go the remorseless criminals who hide behind narrow political lines. I must confess, though, I was over the moon when the Supreme Court of Ghana once returned a favourable verdict in the case of Occupy Ghana versus the Auditor General that the latter is obliged to retrieve the embezzled or stolen funds from the culprits without fear or favour. Disappointingly, however, , my excitement became ephemeral, like the life span of a fly, when the Auditor General later claimed that some culprits have already returned their loots, albeit without the essential prosecutions. Obviously, the benign and somewhat lenient approach would not circumscribe the widespread sleazes and corruptions which have been retrogressing Ghanas advancement thus far. How on earth would individuals turn away from their misdeeds if the only punishment for stealing public funds is a mere plea to return the loot? Let us be honest, much as the paradox of exposure is somewhat relevant in the fight against corruption, it is not an isolated tool, it goes hand in hand with prevention and deterrence. Regrettably, though, the justice system tends to clampdown heavily on goat, cassava and plantain thieves, and more often than not, let go the obdurate criminals who hide behind narrow political colorations. Well, if we are ever prepared to beseech the fantastically corrupt public officials to only pay back their loots without any further punishment, we might as well treat the goat, plantain and cassava thieves same. For after all, what is good for the goose is good for the gander. Verily, reported cases of political criminals misdeeds often leave concerned Ghanaians with a glint of bewilderment. And what is more, when it comes to the prosecutions of the political criminals, we are often made to believe: the wheels of justice turn slowly, but it will grind exceedingly fine. Yet we can disappointingly recount a lot of unresolved alleged criminal cases involving political personalities and other civil servants. Where is the fairness when the political thieves could dip their hands into the national purse as if there is no tomorrow and go scot free, while the goat, cassava and plantain thieves are often locked up? Indeed, it beggars belief that individuals could form an alliance, create, loot and share gargantuan sums of money belonging to the state and would eventually slip through the justice net. I will dare state that there is no deterrence for political criminals. For, if that was not the case, how come political criminals more often than not go through the justice net, despite unobjectionable evidence of wrong doing? Let us admit, though, corruption is a serious economic, social, political and moral impediment to the nation building. To this end, corrupt officials must be held accountable at all times without fear or favour. As a matter of fact, corruption is found in all countriesbig and small, rich and poorbut it is in the developing world that its effects are most destructive. In fact, some of us cannot comprehend why the people we have entrusted with the national coffers could team up with shifty individuals and steal gargantuan sums of money belonging to the nation without facing any stiff punishment. Regrettably, despite the fact that corruption slows down the nation building, some corrupt officials are nonetheless bent on siphoning our scarce resources to the detriment of the poor. Corruption is an insidious plague that has a wide range of corrosive effects on societies. It undermines democracy and the rule of law, leads to violations of human rights, distorts markets, erodes the quality of life and allows organized crime, terrorism and other threats to human security to flourish (UN 2003). For the poor, women and minorities, corruption means even less access to jobs, justice or any fair and equal opportunity (UNDP 2016). Let us however keep our fingers cross for the arrival of the Special Prosecutor and pray that the corrupt public officials are brought to book. Indeed, it will be gratifying to witness the Special Prosecutor exerting dint of effort and retrieving most of the stolen monies in the last few years, which obviously collapsed Ghanas economy. It is our anticipation that the Special Prosecutor will go after the greedy politicians and other public servants who have shamefully stolen from the national purse. Of course, the suspects and their apologists will grumble and squall over the Special Prosecutors lawful interrogations. Nevertheless, there will be no mercy for the wrong doers. We shall claw-back all the stolen monies which were meant for various developmental projects. Let us therefore humbly remind President Akufo-Addo that the right antidote to curbing the unbridled sleazes and corruptions is through stiff punishments, including the retrieval of all stolen monies, sale of properties and harsh prison sentences. K. Badu, UK. Accra, Oct. 3, CDA Consult The Ghana Oil Company Limited (GOIL), the nations foremost Indigenous Oil Marketing Company has for the second consecutive year, won the coveted Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana (CIMG) Petroleum Company of the year. GOIL has affirmed and consolidated its position as the number one Oil marketing Company in the Country. The award which was announced at the 28th National Marketing Performance awards held in Accra, confirms the biggest indigenous marketing entitys role also as an important player in the competitive sector. GOIL won the award in 2015 and its MD, Patrick Apke Kwame Akorli is the immediate past CIMG Man of the Year. Mr Akorli explained in an interview after the award that GOIL has the largest retail network of over 300 active service stations countrywide with 20 per cent of market share and has been posting impressive results, recording 58.7 per cent increase in profit after tax in 2016, a 26.95 per cent increase in turnover compared to that of 2015. GOIL as the biggest indigenous marketing entity continues to make strides, venturing big into the bunkering sector. He said in line with the companys expansion drive, a 13.5m litre capacity MGO bunkering facility has recently been commissioned in Takoradi Port at a cost of $15 million. The GOIL Group Chief Executive Officer said already, a modern 4000m3 MGO bunkering facility fitted with a filtration and coalescing unit at the Sekondi Naval Base is in operation. In the medium to long term GOIL wants to become a vibrant energy company with a significant foothold in West Africa, says Mr. Patrick Akorli, MD and CEO of GOIL. Downstream petroleum analysts says, the bunkering investments especially the Takoradi Project , are significant because they will position GOIL to benefit from the huge trade in MGO, 60 per cent of which is being done offshore, bringing in the much needed revenue to GOIL and to the state in the form of taxes. Mr. Alex Josiah Adzew, the GOIL Chief Operating Officer, underscored the premium GOIL puts on the quality of products, explaining that this has pushed her to procure a modern mobile laboratory van to test all products at its station before sale to consumers. He reiterated that the company will invest more resources to ensure products are always of the highest standards and quality. GOIL is already eying the road construction sector, finalizing plans to construct a bitumen plant to serve the burgeoning industry. Harare (AFP) - Zimbabwe police have arrested a journalist at a privately-owned daily over a story claiming that President Robert Mugabe's wife, Grace had donated second-hand underwear to supporters, lawyers said Tuesday. Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) said that Kenneth Nyangani, a NewsDay journalist, was arrested on Monday night "for allegedly writing and publishing a story over the donation of some used undergarments by First Lady Grace Mugabe". Nyangani was being detained in the eastern city of Mutare and is likely to face "criminal defamation" charges, the organisation said in a statement. He is yet to appear in court. The NewsDay on Monday reported that a ruling Zanu-PF lawmaker, Esau Mupfumi had over the weekend handed out clothes saying they were donated by Grace Mugabe. "I met the First Lady Grace Mugabe and I was given these clothes so that I can give you. I have briefs for you and I am told that most of your briefs are not in good shape, please come and collect your allocations today," the NewsDay quoted Mupfumi as saying. "We have night dresses, sandals and clothes, come and take, this is from your First Lady Grace Mugabe." Zimbabwe's worsening economic crisis has forced many people to resort to buying second-hand clothes which are more affordable. The used clothes that include undergarments are mostly imported from Mozambique after being shipped from Western nations. Zimbabwe once banned the sale of second-hand clothes in 2015 but later lifted the ban. The southern African country is facing money shortages and high unemployment blamed on long ruling President Robert Mugabe economic policies. Amnesty International has called for Nyangani's unconditional release, saying his arrest aimed at harassing and intimidating journalists. "The intention is to send a chilling message to journalists and media workers that they must self-censor rather than expose truths," it said in a statement. Pretoria (AFP) - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe returned to South Africa on Tuesday for the first time since his wife claimed diplomatic immunity over allegedly assaulting a model in a Johannesburg hotel room. Mugabe, 93, was not accompanied by his wife Grace as he met President Jacob Zuma in Pretoria, six weeks after the alleged attack sparked diplomatic tension between the two neighbours. Mugabe used his opening remarks at the talks to stress the close relations between Zimbabwe and South Africa, but did not mention the incident. "Had we had a say in the choice of a neighbour, we would have chosen you," he said, to laughter from ministers on both sides. "We are one -- one people, one revolution, one struggle, one future," he added. Grace Mugabe, 52, is alleged to have assaulted Gabriella Engels with an electrical extension cable at the chic Johannesburg hotel where the Mugabes' two sons, who are in their 20s, were staying. Engels suffered cuts to her forehead and the back of her head during the alleged August 13 assault. The first lady was granted diplomatic immunity by South African authorities and promptly flew out of the country, accompanied by her husband who had arrived for a regional summit. Earlier, the South African police had vowed to prevent her from leaving as they considered issuing an arrest warrant. At the time of the incident, Mugabe's two sons Robert Jnr and Chatunga were living in the Sandton business district of Johannesburg, where they have a reputation for partying. Engels, 20, has launched a legal battle to have Grace Mugabe stripped of immunity over the alleged attack. "We were chilling in a hotel room, and (Mugabe's sons) were in the room next door. She came in and started hitting us," Engels told local media. In 2009, Grace Mugabe was granted immunity in Hong Kong after repeatedly punching a British photographer for taking pictures of her at a luxury hotel. President Mugabe, who came to power in 1980, is due to stand again in elections next year, with his wife seen as one possible successor when he leaves office. At Tuesday's talks, Zuma also made no reference to the incident and said there was "ever-growing cooperation between the two countries". 03.10.2017 LISTEN Most of the traditional markets in Accra are in a deplorable states. They do not have modern market facilities to enable them perform their functions as modern markets in the various communities. Businesses are slow in these markets as people no longer patronise them because of poor infrastructure. Business activities in these markets have virtually come to a halt. This has brought untold suffering to the trader folks who operate in those markets. In times past, the markets were booming with lots of shoppers, including expatriates shopping on a daily basis. But today, these shoppers hardly come around to shop because of the poor state of the markets. A careful study conducted by a team of journalists from Journalists In Community Development (JICD) proved that the authorities-district assemblies, members of parliament and the chiefs whose responsibility it is to ensure the wellbeing of the markets, have not been supportive enough. Interestingly, some of these markets have been in the news in recent times for issues of poor infrastracture, neglet, poor security, low patronage, among others. Traders of these markers often complaint of attacks by armed robbers who rob them of their money and valuables. Again, traders complain of thieves who steal their wares at night because there are no proper places to keep them. The lack of proper infrastructure has eventually driven away all of their customers from shopping in the markets. Instead, they go to the malls to shop. Clearly, the customers find these malls better for shopping because the mall have modern infrastructure which make shopping more fun. Afterall, everthing, including "momone" (stinking fish) can be obtained from the malls. Nonetheless, traders have remained in the markets because they have no alternative source of livelihood. Obviously, these developments have called for urgent need for our traditional markets to be given a facelift to befit a modern market. This is the only way that we can keep the traders in a more profitable and sustainable business. A JICD reporter visited the Anyaa market, in the Anyaa Ablekum constituency of the Ga Central Municipal Assembly. In an interview, the Deputy Organiser of Anyaa Market Association, Madam Dina Anum, appealed to Nana Akuffo Addo to construct a modern market in place of the old deplorable one for them. According to her, the Mahama administration promised to provide a bus terminal and a modern market for the people of the constituency but time permitted only the terminal to be completed. The organiser said ever since the NPP took office nine months ago, there has been no sign of the new administration continuing the project to alleviate the suffering of the traders. She therefore advised the government not to abandon projects that were started by the previous administration, but to continue and complete them to maintain growth and development for the people. Complaining further, the Deputy Organiser stressed that anytime it rains, the entire market becomes flooded and muddy, and this makes it difficult for traders and shoppers to come to the market. Again, she complained that traders do not have secured places where they keep their wares. And this, she said has given thieves the opportunity to steal at will. Madam Anum also recalled that in times past, when the market was not in such a deplorable state, many shoppers including foreigners were always at the market to shop. "Today, many of the customers have stopped buying from the market because of its deplorable state", she added. "Customers prefere going to the malls to do their shopping because of convenience and better facilities", she added. Madam Anum told the reporter that the poor state of the market has cost traders all their trading capital. "now we have place to turn to, we find it difficult to support our families under the circumstance", she cried. Concluding, the Deputy Organiser appealed to Nana Akuffo Addo and the Member of Parliament for the area, Hon. Ayokor Botwe to use their high offices to construct the market for the traders in order to restore their economic fortunes. The National Organizer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has accused the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo, of peddling falsehood about the state of the economy he inherited from the previous administration According to Kofi Adams, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government took over the most stable economy of any administration in the fourth republic. Speaking in response to calls by the President for Ghanaians to be considerate in their demands on his government, Kofi Adams claimed the NDC had inherited and turned around an economy in a far worse state, with the government having to issue bonds initially just to pay salaries of workers The President is not only showing signs of double standards but he's also peddling falsehood. President Akufo-Addo inherited a better economy than possibly any of our [other] presidents have had in the fourth republic, Kofi Adams said in an interview with Citi News. The NDC inherited an economy in 2009 that was borrowing to pay salaries. Indeed we went out there and took bonds before we could pay salaries. That was the type of economy we inherited. The NPP inherited an economy that never borrowed to pay salaries. We paid salaries using revenue generated internally. The President was responding to demands made on him by the chiefs and people of the Dorimon traditional area at Jambusie in the Wa West District, while on a two-day working visit to the Upper West Region as part of 7-day tour of northern Ghana. The President said his government had inherited an ailing economy which forced them to be measured in the number of projects they undertake. What we are saying is that, all the things that you have put to me are things that I am very concerned about extending the school feeding programme, establishing a nurses training collegebut a lot of them depend on the state of our public finances. And the truth of the matter is that, I am not a lucky son, I did not inherit a rich father. The inheritance I got from my predecessor was an empty treasury so I'm having to work my way from the bottom up, Nana Addo said. However, Kofi Adams touted the Mahama administrations feats in infrastructure development despite the challenges they had encountered, particularly the work that has been done at the various airports. We had added a lot more infrastructure that did not exist. Go to our air and sea ports today; we've added a lot more infrastructure that did not exist. We have a more expanded Kumasi Airport, Tamale Airport and the Kotoka International Airport is seeing massive expansion he said. By: Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana YaoundA (AFP) - A home-made device exploded overnight near a police station in Cameroon's restless English-speaking region, where separatist leaders have launched a campaign for independence, concurring sources said Tuesday. There were no reported casualties, they said. The bomb detonated near a police unit called the Mobile Intervention Group in Bamenda, the chief city in the Northwest Region, a security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The information was confirmed separately to AFP by an official with the regional government, who added that another device nearby was safely defused by police. There was no claim of responsibility by late afternoon. The blast came after a weekend of violence in which 19 people were killed in the English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions as the authorities clamped down on a symbolic declaration of independence for "Ambazonia," the name of the state radical anglophones wish to create. Fourteen died in clashes with security forces, and five were prisoners shot by guards in an attempted jail break at Kumbo, according to an AFP toll. Cameroon, a francophone-majority nation in central-western Africa, has a large anglophone minority, comprising about a fifth of its population of 22 million. English-speakers complain they suffer inequality and discrimination -- a resentment that has fuelled a breakaway movement that culminated Sunday in a symbolic declaration of independence from the rest of Cameroon. President Paul Biya strongly opposes independence, as well as a less radical alternative for a return to a federal structure, which the country once had. Home-made bombs exploded in Bamenda on September 18 and September 22 in Douala, Cameroon's economic hub, which is in a francophone region. The blasts prompted the government to ratchet up its response to anglophone agitation, notably calling the separatists "terrorists". This was followed by orders for a three-day curb on movement in the two anglophone areas, coinciding with the independence declaration. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Amnesty International have called on Cameroon to investigate the fatalities, and the European Union and France, the country's former colonial power, have urged dialogue and non-violence. Cameroon was a German colony from 1884 until 1919, when it was split into British- and French- run entities at the end of World War I. Today's anglophone-francophone rift dates back to 1961, when the British-administered Southern Cameroons united with Cameroon after its independence from France in 1960. A group belonging to the New Patriotic Party in the Northern regional capital, Tamale, has alleged that the partys regional chairman, Mr. Bugri Naabu hired them to stage a massive demonstration against President Akuffo Addo who is due to visit the region on Friday, 6th October, 2017, as part of a three-day working tour and some two top regional officers. This latest disclosure has deepened tensions among party executives in the region after divisions caused by the leakage on Sunday of an official document at the Regional Coordinating Council asking Metropolitan Municipal Chief Executives to finance the visit of the president. We wish to bring to the notice of Ghanaians and members of our party that the plans of some section of the partys youth to stage a demonstration against His Excellency President Nana Addo, the Northern Regional Minister and the Mayor of Tamale, Mr. Musah Superior, this week before the president arrives is masterminded by chairman, Bugri Naabu, a statement issued by the group on Tuesday revealed. The demonstration was also targeted at the Regional Minister, Salifu Saeed and Mayor of Tamale, Musah Superior and intended to disgrace the president as revenge for lowering his authority as leader of the party, the statement added. The group, Get All on Deck said the protest was scheduled to occur this Thursday, a day before the arrival of the President. The group members said they together with other groups were part of the grand scheme but they decided to blow the cover because they realized after intense deliberations that the chairman only wanted to use us for his parochial and selfish interest. The group added further that the decision to speak out publicly against the plot was because some of the members hired by the party chairman to join the protest were known members of the opposition party. They claimed they found that the chairmans intention was to destabilize and frustrate efforts of the Minister and the Mayor. Some of our members who can be identified were Rashid and Habib who are known allies of Bugri Naabu and those who always organize the youth all these while. For the avoidance of doubt, you may have heard that, some youth group last Saturday stormed the chairmans residence with a petition, complaining about some issues against the northern regional minister. This is one of the schemes of Chairman Bugri Naabu. He paid us GH10, 000.00 to carry out the operation this time around. According to the group, the chairman paid them to protest against the President over issues concerning the appointment of MMDCEs in the region that has upset Bugri who had issued threats to quit his position. The minister vehemently denies all the charges and maintained he has friendly relationship with the chairman. The group added that the chairman instructed them to target the Mayor and Regional Minister in the plot because he (Bugri Naabu) believed the two appointees were against his chairmanship ambition. Bugri has repeatedly accused the Minister, in particular of supporting other potential candidates to unseat him as regional chairman. He, at a point suggested to the president to fire the minister. The group also drew the attention of the security agencies to stop the chairman from causing mayhem and advised the chairman to address concerns through dialogue and negotiations and eschew violent confrontation. Responding to the statement, Bugri Naabu roundly denied meeting with any group and said the claims by the youth was concoction and nothing but concoction. I dont know any group at all; no group has come to me neither I have met with any group and I dont see why Im receiving the president and will ask the youth to demonstrate against him. The Author 03.10.2017 LISTEN Most leaders will never be what they think they are and will ironically pray to be the persons their dogs think they are: In a date with CIMG marketing man of the year 2015, Patrick K. Akorli, Managing Director (Goil) recently, he made us appreciate the complementary role of the dog whenever it is being misled towards the wrong direction by its manager. In a related development, Ken Banchard concluded that Eagles flourish in organizations where customer is the focus but Ducks multiply in places where boss pleasing is a daily ritual. In every faculty of life, eagles abound in transforming the lives of individuals through activities within the aegis of human relations. Indeed, Max Depree emphasized that the first responsibility of a leader is to define the reality. The last is to say thank you. In-between, the leader is a servant. From the world book (2001), leadership is important in keeping group work together and directing it to act in certain way. Being one of the elements of human relations, experts believe it is one of the best means in achieving the desired goal with minimum conflict primed on the fact that individuals have inborn and acquired needs. If a leader understands individuals needs, why they act and react as they do and the things that will change their mind, he is better positioned to provide them with the appropriate solution. It is also important to marry individual needs to living together because people are social beings and live in contact with each other. The third reality is the unpleasant ring of conflict that every group situation offers among members with distinct needs. A royal caretaker must know his sheep just as the dynamics of leadership in salesmanship beholds on the manager to understand the needs of his sales force and the specific situation. The value relevance of this as presented by Anderson provides four kinds of people that will need tailored art of influencing. In the first segment, you will lead experienced high performing team who tend to be competitive with one another. A second set consists of experienced high performing team doing work they know and enjoy amid new hired inexperienced trainees and experienced team likely to do the unpleasant unfamiliar jobs. A study has determined that effective leaders address two kinds of needs within an organization: efficiency and human needs. These leaders are effective at both planning and implementing task and at working with people in the organization. The journal school of leadership reaffirmed that the more a company focuses on internal leadership growth, the better its sales and profit. A great deal of contributions from the social sciences such as the economist, political scientist, cultural anthropologist, social psychologist and the sociologist enhance this element of human relations. The genetic engineering on the art of influencing through research from the 1970s and the 1980s has been phenomenal in that while leaders are essential component of organization, they are also one of the most complex components. According to Thomas Carlyle (1840), to suggest that leaders do not enter the world with extraordinary endowment is to imply that people enter the world with equal talents. It is also widely accepted that leadership learning should be a lifetime activity as being practiced by the military. This puts to rest whether leaders are born or made because a leader will always be born before being grilled by teaching, observation and learning. These manifest in telling people what to do, how to do it and who is to do it. Leaders are also expected to be concerned about how they listen, provide clarification, know the individual motives and providing feedback. In order not to court a leadership failure one fit style to all situations is bad. Ken Blanchard emphasized that the best leaders are those who understand that their power flows through them not from them. On this journey of influencing you need to know where you are going and have a personal mission statement strongly footed on your strength but be guided by your assumed obituary. According to Ken, you need to set the boundaries as to your purpose, values, goal, role and structures. The world book also admonishes us to consider other factors such as the organizational unit and any outside influences, system control and the group goal. Human dignity and respect are important because leadership is not something you do to people but something you do with people and committed to helping your people win. All the things leadership espouses has nothing to do with size; it is about knowledge, wisdom and dealing in hope. In the words of Peter Drucker, it is lifting a persons vision to high sight, the raising of a persons performance to a higher standard, the building of personality beyond its normal limitations. All remarkable leaders are marked with great achievement and history. Pope Francis has attracted non catholic admirers by setting a new direction for the church, refused to occupy the Palatial papal apartment, washed the feet of female Muslim prisoner and created an advisory team of 8 cardinals. Alan Mulally, former CEO of Ford Motors is referred to as miracle worker who saved his company without resorting to bailout as previous leaders tried and failed. Bill Cliton has been a relentless and forceful advocate for HIV/AIDS, Malaria, tuberculosis and the need to stem greenhouse emission. Jeff Bezor is also a life testimony of world leader as CEO of Amazon.com is an extremely rare combination of visionary and master builder for 20 years with the foresight and turning into world number two after Apple. Warren Buffet, an investor is also an example of leaders who leads 300,000 employees into a value based hands off style that gives managers wide leeway and incentivizes them like owners. The likes of Christine Largarde and Angela Mekel are worth mentioning. Zed Corner in 2015 listed some of the good leaders in Africa as Kwame Nkrumah, Nelson Mandela, Haile Selasie, Ellen Johnson, Kenneth Kaunda, Patrice Lumumba, Jomo Kenyatta, Thomas Sankara and Samora Machel. We venerate them for their boundaries, exemplary lives, truthfulness, self sacrifices, investment in the wellbeing of followers, human relations, and the eagle like characteristics. You can inspire in your marital decision, business decision, household decision, national decision, global decision and financial decision among the lots because leadership is a high calling. You should think and talk about the solution as suggested by Brian Tracy. Mr Patrick Akorli MD (Goil) advised us to be ready to learn on this journey of leadership while thinking about our followers first because if town folks are happy, the chief deserves thank. The Oluwo of Iwo Land, Osun state, South-West Nigeria, Oba Abdul-Rasheed Adewale Akanbi, Telu I has called on indigenes in diaspora to come home and contribute their quota to the development of the town as he marks his second anniversary on throne and 50th birthday 7th of October 2017. Oba Akanbi in a statement released by the palace, disclosed that eminent Nigerians are expected at the twin event. He said: As a responsible father I am thirsty of development. There are two Iwos: the old Iwo and the new Iwo. The new Iwo is the best because we have migrated from obscurity to light. The name is everywhere now and big investments are underway. The Monarch also charged the indigenes saying that the best they could do as indigenes is to invest in the many community projects in Iwo land. According to him, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, and the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, are among the many dignitaries expected to grace the event marking his 50th birthday and coronation anniversary as Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola will be the chief host to the invited guests. While Oba Abdul-Rasheed Adewale Akanbi also spoke about the guest slated for the event, he hinted that the Olugbo of Ugbo, Oba Fredrick Obateru Akinruntan is the Chairman of the occasion while Haija Abbah Folawiyo is the Mother of the Day. Other dignitaries expected at the event include: Monarch, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Mike Adenuga, Femi Otedola, all Emirs in Nigeria, as well as other high-ranking monarch across the country. Recall that Oluwo of Iwo Land recently held a prayer session for President Muhammadu Buhari and other leaders in Nigeria. The event witnessed over 3000 people in attendance from all over the country. Nollywood actress and Philanthropist Rosaline Meurer has bagged special recognition award for ambassadorial support for mother and Child at the La Mode Green October Event held yesterday at Oriental Hotel, Lagos. The glamorous fashion show and exhibition was designed to mark independence day and also raise fund for Cerebral Palsy. It was a colourful award ceremony and gala night which attracted several high profile personalities and brands as Meurer was honoured for her benevolence and charity works towards mother and Children. It would be recalled that she visited a maternity hospital in Delta State where she paid off hospital bills of pregnant and newly delivered mothers, as well as donating for a child in Lagos hospital that had eye cancer. Her philanthropic works cuts across Nigeria and even Ghana with a recent support carried out in Delta State to commission Udu water project. The talented Actress who was nominated for CityPeople Movie Award 2017 has also joined the league of movie producers with the released of her new movie " The Therapist's Therapy" featuring A'list actors. Heres why controversial birth control healthcare needs to start putting women first, not financial gain. In June of 1960, the FDA approved the sale of the first birth control pill, Enovid. Though effective and simple to use, Enovid was far from perfect. Due to the extremely high dose of hormones it carried (far more than necessary to prevent pregnancy), the likelihood and severity of side effects were sky high. Even more disturbing was the fact that these serious side effects had been evident since the first clinical trials. In the first trials in Puerto Rico, Dr. Edris Rice-Wray reported early on that 17 percent of the women* who took the pill had significantly unpleasant side effects, including dizziness, nausea, headaches, and vomiting. Because of the discomfort caused by the medicine, 25 of the patients withdrew from the trials before completion. In her first report, Dr. Rice-Wray made it known that although the pill provided exceptional protection against unintended pregnancy, she felt it caused too many side effects to be generally acceptable. Unfortunately, Gregory Pincus, the head of the research team, was more concerned with the pills effectiveness at preventing pregnancy than the side effects he had little empathy for what he regarded as hypochondria among the women in the trials. But it wasnt hypochondria at all. Besides the distressing side effects mentioned above, one woman died of congestive heart failure and another developed pulmonary tuberculosis. The trial researchers were so focused on watching for damage to the cervix, endometrium, liver, and ovaries, that they didnt stop to consider that these adverse reactions were related to the pill. Once the pill hit the market, the problems only intensified. Reports of nausea, breast tenderness, water retention, and weight gain poured in from millions of women worldwide. In 1961, G.D. Searle the manufacturer of Enovid reported 32 incidents of thrombosis (blood clots) and embolism (clots moving through and blocking a blood vessel) among women using the pill. But the FDA resolved that even if the pill caused these harmful side effects, the rate was much lower than the rate of women who would die from pregnancy complications. However, Senator Gaylord Nelson elected to hold hearings on whether the women who used Enovid had been provided with enough information about possible risks and side effects to make an informed decision. Some who questioned the use of the pill were motivated by an interest in womens health. Some, such as Hugh Davis, were not. Davis, a gynecologist, was Nelsons lead speaker at the hearings. He testified that women would be safer using a new IUD instead of the pill. He failed to reveal the fact that he had a financial interest in promoting this new IUD the Dalkon Shield which was later found to cause pelvic inflammatory disease, loss of fertility, and the death of five women. This wasnt the first time profits were put ahead of womens safety, and it wouldnt be the last. As a result of the Nelson Pill Hearing, drug companies were required to include a health warning with oral contraceptives the first informational insert on any prescription drug. Enovid was discontinued in 1988, and oral contraceptives were released with far lower estrogen doses. The history of the birth control pill is a disturbing one, and unfortunately, it doesnt seem to have had any impact on the modern pharmaceutical industry. If we look closer at the birth control options available for women today, well find that not much has improved in the last 57 years. Good Enough Doesnt Cut It As it stands, no birth control currently available on the market is risk free even those that are generally considered safe. Hormonal birth control (pills, patches, vaginal rings, injections, and implants) is known to cause headaches, nausea, sore breasts, and spotting between periods in many women. Much worse, though, is the increased risk of blood clots, heart attack, stroke, and liver tumors. Women who smoke, especially if they are over 35 years of age, are especially susceptible to these serious side effects. For the most part, progestin-only birth control doesnt carry these risks. Women who are over 35 years of age and smoke should avoid birth control containing estrogen. Women of any age should avoid combination hormonal birth control if they have a history of uncontrolled high blood pressure, chest pain, diabetes, severe headaches, heart or liver disease, blood clots, or stroke. Intrauterine devices (IUDs) are one of the most effective forms of birth control. However, they shouldnt be used if you have an active STI, have had a recent pelvic infection, have had cancer of the cervix or uterus, or if youre pregnant. Rare but serious side effects include infections caused by bacteria getting into the uterus when the device is inserted, punctures in the wall of the uterus, ovarian cysts, and ectopic pregnancies. Copper-releasing IUDs can cause intense cramping, longer and heavier periods, and spotting between periods. Even permanent birth control isnt totally safe. Surgical sterilization (tubal ligation) typically involves general anesthesia and a laparoscopy. Major complications of tubal ligation arent common, but include infection, heavy blood loss, general anesthesia problems, and organ injury during surgery. Invented to be an alternative to surgical sterilization, Essure is the latest birth control option found to cause serious harm to the women who use it. Essure is a permanent birth control procedure that involves two nickel-titanium coils being placed inside the fallopian tubes to incite the growth of scar tissue that eventually blocks the tubes to prevent pregnancy. Many women who have used Essure report the implant having migrated and embedding itself elsewhere in the body, chronic fatigue, migraines, joint pain, digestive issues, back pain, heavy periods full of clots, difficulty concentrating, abdominal pain, pelvic pain, hair loss, tooth deterioration, depression, and severe bloating. These problems have been so severe that hundreds have needed surgery to remove the device a surgery that often ends in a complete hysterectomy. Bayer, the maker of Essure, failed to properly carry out clinical studies, and actually petitioned the FDA to downgrade the nickel contraindication to a warning which resulted in physicians not screening patients for nickel allergies. Consequently, many users had severe autoimmune reactions to the device. The Essure scandal which is still very much ongoing has led the FDA to require that Bayer label the device with the agencys strictest black box warning. This alerts both patients and doctors to the risks associated with Essure. Furthermore, Bayer has to develop and conduct a new post-market study to investigate the rate of complications including injuries, pain, unplanned pregnancies, and surgery to remove the device. Is The Future Of Birth Control Male? The effect of modern birth control on womens bodies has led many to look to new options for men** as a possible solution. As it stands, men have only two choices for birth control: condoms or a vasectomy. Both these methods come with their own issues and limitations. Fortunately, there are a number of male contraceptives currently in development, the most promising of which is Echo-V, a hydrogel created by contraceptive company Contraline. The Echo-V gel is injected directly into the vas deferens (the tube that transports sperm from the testes to the urethra) where it solidifies and blocks the flow of sperm but still allows other fluid to pass through. When the patient is ready to have children, a solution is injected to dissolve the gel. The doctor uses an ultrasound to guide the placement of the injection, so no surgery or stitches are required. Clinical trials in India have shown that the hydrogel method works with almost perfect results and no serious side effects. However, tests will still need to be carried out in America, and Contraline has had trouble finding financial backing. It may be a while yet before Echo-V is available. Though contemporary birth control is safe for most women, everything currently on the market is still associated with some risks and side effects. And, with the controversy surrounding contraceptives such as Yasmin, Mirena, and now Essure, we are constantly faced with the question of whether those in the healthcare field can truly balance ethics with financial responsibility. Our best bet is to do as much research as possible before choosing which birth control is right for us. Other than that, well just have to look to the future. * Not all women have a womb. ** Not all men have a vas deferens. Artwork: Brittany Naundorff (brittanyfears.com) 'The big truck is still on ... I have been a resident of Twin Falls for the last 14 years (having moved here to retire with my husband who is a native). I have lived in many diverse places (LA, Houston, Abadan, Iran to name a few). I usually don't comment too much on what is in our local paper (although I could) but I am compelled to after reading the article Saturday, Sept. 30, titled "Coalition aims to confront hate." One sentence in particular jumped out at me. I was totally offended by it as I am sure many of the good residents of south-central Idaho probably were. I am quoting Adrienne Evans when she described Twin Falls as a "haven for white nationalists." She lumped thousands of good, hard-working people of this community who give of their time, talents, money and other donations to help people in our community better themselves, and yes, this includes the many fine people who happen to be refugees. Whether you happen to lean left or right politically, we are all Americans. We need to listen to each other's concerns without attacking them with opinionated facts. We need to learn the art of compromise. We need to respect other viewpoints and not attempt to vilify them if they are different than ours. As for our president, he is doing his job. As he has said, he views his prime responsibility as protecting the citizens of this country while following the Constitution. He wants to screen potentially dangerous factions from coming to our country under the guise of "refugees." Thus the constraints on certain countries where we are not well-liked. Pam Woods Twin Falls Microphone and US Flag View Photos During the Democratic Weekly Address Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) said she shares the frustration of those in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands who feel forgotten and neglected. Cortez was Tuesdays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. Here are her words: Hello, my name is Catherine Cortez Masto, Im a Senator from the Great State of Nevada. In the month of September, Americans in the Caribbean and along the southern United States experienced three hurricanes of the century Harvey, Irma, and Maria. These historically destructive hurricanes flooded homes, closed businesses, and turned the lives of millions of Americans upside down. So many heroes including brave DREAMers answered the call to rescue those that were trapped and provide shelter and comfort to the displaced. I am proud of the efforts of all of our brave first responders many gave their lives for their communities. I also want to take a moment to thank the many Nevadans participating in the relief efforts, my best wishes go with the Nevada Army National Guard members from Reno and Carson City, who will soon be headed to Puerto Rico. Your actions make us all proud to be Americans. This pride is tempered by the recognition that millions are still waiting for help. I share in the frustrations of Americans in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands who feel forgotten and neglected. I encourage Americans to volunteer and donate to legitimate organizations helping in relief efforts. Every dollar and every volunteer hour spent brings hope and relief to the people of Puerto Rico and all those impacted by these tragic hurricanes. Right now, 3.5 million Americans are without power, food, and clean drinking water in Puerto Rico. Right now, hospitals on the island are unable to serve patients because backup generators do not have fuel. The elderly do not have their medicine. Puerto Ricans are fleeing flooded towns and cities with polluted waters, some with dead bodies floating in them, and looking to mountain streams to find safe drinking water. This is a public health crisis and must be treated like one. Senate Democrats are standing with the people of Puerto Rico. Republicans in Congress must act now to deliver on the Trump administrations request for additional funding for search, rescue, and recovery operations. We also call on the President to stand with the people of Puerto Rico, focus on saving lives, and tweet less about Wall Street creditors targeting the island. FEMA must waive any requirement forcing the people of Puerto Rico to contribute additional funds to their own relief effort in the middle of a debt crisis. We wouldnt do this to Florida, Texas, or any of the other 50 states. Its inhumane and irresponsible to keep an open tab on saving lives. I commend the efforts of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and of Customs and Border Protection in delivering water and providing rescue workers to assist in relief efforts. The impact of these hurricanes will be felt for decades. We must render aid and protect all survivors documented and undocumented. That is why I joined my colleagues to call on President Trump to extend the arbitrary October 5th deadline for DREAMers to request extension of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status. DREAMers are fellow survivors of these terrible storms. And to the people of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, I want you to know that you deserve and will have the full support of our government as you recover and rebuild. Thank you and we stand with you. The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML. Despite the fact that it is the 21st century, and we live in a civilised world, the issue of human trafficking still exists. Nigeria is one of the countries that have suffered from this problem for a long time. Today, we will try to figure out the major causes of human trafficking in Nigeria. What pushes people towards human trafficking? What is the purpose of human trafficking? Find out here. What is human trafficking? According to the UNs protocol that was created in order to prevent trafficking (also known as Palermo Protocol), human trafficking is when people recruit, transfer, transport or harbour other people against their will by using force, blackmail, deception, fraud and other malicious means. Human trafficking has three elements to it: The act, or what exactly has been done to the victim. Were they illegally recruited, transported or harboured? The means, or how it has happened. Did they use coercion, force, blackmail, fraud, abduction or deception? The purpose, or why it has happened. Were victims trafficked for exploitation, slavery or organ removal? While we are going to touch a little bit on the subject of why human trafficking happens in Nigeria, the main thing we are going to discuss is what pushes people into the realm of human trafficking. The issue of human trafficking in Nigeria Human trafficking is a global problem. However, a large portion of victims comes from the African countries, particularly Nigeria. Nigeria is both the source and the destination for human trafficking. The country is actually on the U.S. Tier 2 Watch list. Women and children become the victims of child trafficking more often than men. They are used for the purposes of slavery, exploitation and servitude. However, men and young boys can also be used in human trafficking for the purposes of working in quarries, mines and on the fields. But what pushes Nigerians towards human trafficking? Find out below. Five causes of human trafficking There are many reasons why people might get involved in human trafficking, both as victims and as perpetrators. But today we will focus on the goals that people pursue and the things they are running from that land them in the hands of the human traffickers. Here are the five main causes of human trafficking. Armed conflict As Nigeria is quite a tumultuous country, with Biafra conflicts in the south and Boko Haram in the north, it is no wonder that some people might want to get away. This, in turn, makes them extremely vulnerable to the perpetrators of human trafficking. At the same time, those that are not trying to leave anywhere can also become victims of human trafficking if they stay in the epicentre of the armed conflict. Either side can just barge into the homes and kidnap people to use them in their plans. Ignorance on the topic of human rights One of the main causes of human trafficking in Nigeria is the complete disregard for human rights. Women (and also children) are often viewed as objects that can be sold. Thus, they are sold into slavery and sexual exploitation or forced into marriages. On the other hand, women often resort to seeking alternative opportunities outside of their home country because of the lack of respect or discrimination. When this happens, they are more easily deceived into human trafficking. Greed Among other causes of human trafficking, there is also the constant search for wealth. People are often unsatisfied with what they have, even if they have perfectly decent living conditions, so they try to go out there in search of a better life. This is particularly relevant for Nigerians, as many of them have this incessant idea of getting very rich very fast. The Nigerian web is riddled with ads for earning money with little to no effort (MMM, anyone?), and lots of people actually try them and end up in the hands of very bad people. Unemployment Despite the fact that Nigeria has one of the biggest and fastest growing economies in Africa, many of its citizens cannot find jobs. Many people cannot get decent education and learn relevant skills in order to get a proper job. Therefore, they try to search somewhere else. What is also important to mention is that even those who have a diploma and skills struggle to find a place to work. And as they try to find something in another country, they might encounter fraudsters that might lure them into something terrible under a false pretence of employment abroad. Poverty as a cause of human trafficking READ ALSO: Human trafficking in Nigeria Facts As a result of unemployment, many Nigerian citizens struggle to keep their heads above water. Those who have large debts can easily become victims of slavery and exploitation. Similarly, people who have no money often have no other choice but to sell themselves in order to at least have some food and a roof over their heads. In some cases, traffickers are even able to deceive parents into giving up their children. In hope that their kids might have a chance at a better life, parents send them off. That way, when they think their kids are somewhere living happily, they might be slaving away at some sweatshop or somewhere even worse. What is the purpose of human trafficking? We have considered what pushes people into human trafficking. What is also important to mention is what spheres call for human trafficking. Why is there a demand for human trafficking in Nigeria? Here are seven main reasons why people are trafficked in Nigeria: Sexual exploitation. This is one of the biggest branches of human trafficking in Nigeria. Women and young girls are either shipped off to other countries or left in the country to work in prostitution, escort or the adults films industry. This is one of the biggest branches of human trafficking in Nigeria. Women and young girls are either shipped off to other countries or left in the country to work in prostitution, escort or the adults films industry. Labour exploitation. Victims of human trafficking are made to work in abusive or even hazardous working conditions, as nobody would willingly work there. Victims of human trafficking are made to work in abusive or even hazardous working conditions, as nobody would willingly work there. Domestic work. Children from as small as five years old are used for performing various domestic tasks. They usually have no documents, rights or knowledge that would help them escape the situation, so they are forced to work for food and shelter. Military conscription. Sometimes, especially in times of war or major conflicts, children are forced to fight. An example of this would be the use of child suicide bombers by Boko Haram. Sometimes, especially in times of war or major conflicts, children are forced to fight. An example of this would be the use of child suicide bombers by Boko Haram. Forced marriage. As we have said before, girls and women are often forced into marrying a complete stranger. Parents can either do this because of traditions or for a hefty sum of money. As we have said before, girls and women are often forced into marrying a complete stranger. Parents can either do this because of traditions or for a hefty sum of money. Organ harvesting. This is arguably the most terrifying reason for human trafficking, as the victims usually do not live long enough to tell the tale if they are not rescued in time. Human organs have always been in high demand, which makes human trafficking for organ harvesting a very lucrative opportunity. This is arguably the most terrifying reason for human trafficking, as the victims usually do not live long enough to tell the tale if they are not rescued in time. Human organs have always been in high demand, which makes human trafficking for organ harvesting a very lucrative opportunity. Illicit adoption. Often nurses in hospitals tell the mothers that their child was stillborn, when in fact the baby is sold to wealthy adoptive parents (best-case scenario). At the same time, sometimes mothers themselves sell their children. Human trafficking is a serious issue that should not be overlooked. It is the modern day slavery, and we should do everything we can to stop this menace. Protect yourself and your loved ones. READ ALSO: 10 Causes of Insecurity in Nigeria and The Way Out Source: Legit.ng - Atiku Abubakar, Nigeria's former vice president, denies commencing his 2019 campaign with bags of rice - Atiku believes that the photographs in circulation are photoshopped Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, has cleared the air concerning reports of bags of rice bearing his photographs and inscriptions concerning his plan for 2019. Atiku, who spoke through his Facebook wall, denied that he had started such campaigns. READ ALSO: Read the first Independence Day address presented by Tafawa Balewa in 1960 We've seen this flying around. It's fake. Possibly photoshop. Atiku Abubakar owns a feed factory, employing hundreds, not rice. He hasn't commissioned any posters either, the post stated. Senator Ben Murray-Bruce also confirmed that the photographs were actually doctored. "I just confirmed that this is a photoshopped image. Really sad the lengths people go to when threatened by another's popularity," he said. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app Atiku is believed to be gunning for the 2019 presidential election with many waiting to see if he will contest against Muhammadu Buhari if the latter decides to seek a second term. Legit.ng earlier reported that Atiku Abubakar recently won another massive support ahead of the 2019 general election as he seeks to take over from Buhari. The Fast Forward Nigeria (FFN) said it is supporting Atikus ambition to rule the country as well as his warning and suggestion concerning the need to restructure the country. The FFN said the former vice presidents suggestion on restructuring was the only way for national cohesion. 2019 Presidency: Nigerians reveal why they prefer Atiku to President Buhari - on Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng - Some prominent past and present Nigerian leaders and their counterparts across the world will soon gather in Abuja - The aim of the meeting will be to discuss how peace can be achieved - The occasion is meant to herald the golden jubilee and thanksgiving service of the founder of Living Christ Mission Incorporated, Professor Daddy Hezekiah The need for religious leaders to use their platforms to preach peace and harmony will be the focus as some prominent past and present Nigerian leaders and their counterparts across the world are expected to meet at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) soon. Those expected at the event include Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, former president Goodluck Jonathan, former president Olusegun Obansanjo and other past and serving presidents of other African nations. The occasion is meant to herald the golden jubilee and thanks giving service of the founder of Living Christ Mission Incorporated, Professor Daddy Hezekiah. READ ALSO: The Rider's Embassy marks independence with One Nigeria Ride Legit.ng gathered that the leaders will be discussing on the theme: "The Role of Religious Leaders in a Developing Economy." Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Monday, October 2, the chairman national planning committee of the event, Professor Obiekwe Nwanolue, said the golden jubilee celebration is put together to discuss how peace, which the celebrant stands for, could be achieved. Pastor Nwanolue used the opportunity to advise pastors to use their pulpit to preach holiness. Photo credit: Bode Olagoke While urging Nigerians to rededicate themselves to God so that the country can attain its pride of place in the world, Professor Nwanolue also advised Christians to delve into all legitimate spheres of human endeavour in order to turn the fortunes of the country around. He advised church leaders to stop pauperizing the people by asking them to 'sow seeds', stressing they should instead focus on preaching holiness and how to make their followers succeed. According to him, dignitaries across the globe will be gracing this occasion including serving and former presidents of several countries. Zambia, Central Africa Republic (CAR), delegation from America, Britain, among others, adding that the celebration has transcended beyond the activities of the church. Speaking on the celebrant, Professor Nwanolue said the man of God has trained and empowered many people in several professions who have made serious impact in the society. His words: He is a man who has predicated his teaching and aspirations on truth, holiness, righteousness and salvation. He does not hear any other language other than being transparent and proven integrity. Contrary to what some men of God preach, he is a man that genuine children of God should not be politicians, soldiers, policemen, lawyers because such professions should be saturated with genuine children of God so that they can simply sanitize he ills that have bedeviled those participating professions. Professor Nwanolue aso used the opportunity to give a note of caution to some of religious leaders using their pulpit to score cheap political favour. We have many men of God using religion to deceive people just to score cheap political goals. Religious leaders should face their pulpit and pray for the country. If they use their pulpit to advice the leaders of this country, the country would have gone far even though the political leaders don't listen to advice. What they are doing is wrong because politics should be for politicians while raw responsibility of the men of God is to pray for the country. They should call you order with sincerity of purpose the political leaders that are not doing well, he said. Meanwhile, young American-based Nigerian, who declared his interest to contest for 2019 presidential election three months ago, Chris Emejuru, has stated that restructuring Nigeria is the best way to address the country's problems. Emejuru made the call in a statement he personally signed and sent to Legit.ng on the 57th anniversary of Nigeria. He also dismissed calls for secession from some quarters, stressing that they are not realistic. READ ALSO: 57th anniversary: Don't give up on Nigeria, ACT charges Nigerian youths Fayose announces his presidential bid, expects an honest victory over Buhari - on Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng Fluted pumpkin farming is an exponentially growing industry in Nigeria. Both the seeds and the plants leaves have dozens of potential uses, so its no wonder that its getting a lot of attention from farmers and financial investors. If you would like to learn the most interesting production practices for fluted pumpkins in Nigeria, please continue reading below! Fluted pumpkin production in Nigeria Fluted pumpkin, otherwise known as ugu (ugwu) or fluted gourd, is a crop native to Southern Nigeria. According to the most recent studies, fluted pumpkins are annually consumed by thirty to forty million people in the country. Thus, they have proven to be one of the top-selling types of crops Nigeria. Even though the fruit itself is inedible, the seeds contained within, as well as the leaves are a valuable resource for a farmer. Fluted pumpkin production consists of several stages, such as preparation, planting, management, harvesting, and post-harvesting handling. Well talk about all of these in detail below, and well explain the various production practices you can adapt to increase the amount of fluted pumpkin you yield. Stage 1: Preparation The first thing you need to do is to select the site where your crops will be planted. Next, you need to prepare the soil for seeding. Fluted pumpkins grow best on well-drained surfaces with a neutral pH level. Get rid of all the weeds and stumps that may prevent your seeds from growing. The majority of farmers have admitted that they plant the fruits during the dry season, between November and February. Fluted pumpkins are usually grown in-between April and May. The plant is known to be drought resistant and extremely versatile in terms of soil. Seeds that are ripe for planting are taken out of the fruit and air dried for a day before the sowing process. One of the first production practices youll have to choose from is whether youll sow the fluted pumpkin solely or will it be intercropped with other types of produce. You also have to decide between letting the fruit grow on the ground and stringing it against a wooden fence or bamboo stakes. Stage 2: Planting To plant your fluted pumpkins, you need to sow the seeds right into the ground. There are also numerous production practices involved in this process. When youre planting the seeds, you can place them into the holes either by one, two or three. Studies have shown that planting them in groups of three increases the size of your potential harvest. The seeds need to be put into the soil at a depth of three to five centimeters. The recommended ratio is thirty to seventy thousand seeds per hectare while leaving about 0.3 to 1 meter of space between the groups. There are also three different ways of placing the seed: Hilum up; Hilum down; Hilum sideways. The only one we dont recommend is to plant the fluted pumpkins with the pointy end sticking upward. Tip: If you want your fluted pumpkins to yield more leaves, then sow them closer to each other. However, if you want to produce more fruit, leave more space in-between. READ ALSO: List of industries in Nigeria and what they produce Stage 3: Management Heres a list of the recommended production practices that will help you secure a richer harvest: Stake the plants during the rainy season to protect them from potential infections. Weed the crops two times before the pumpkins canopy is strong enough to get rid of the weeds on its own. If youre planting during the rainy season, a third weeding may be necessary. Perform the first pruning a month after the fruit has developed to stimulate its growth. Water the fluted pumpkins every three days. Use fertilizers or manure for a better harvest. Tip: We advise a ratio of a hundred kilograms of K2O and fifty kilograms of P2O5 per hectare. Stage 4: Harvesting You can harvest the first leaves, which are usually more important for a fluted pumpkin farmer, four weeks after you sow the seeds. However, professional farmers prefer to delay the first harvest until six weeks after planting. Next, you can continue collecting the leaves in cycles that last from two weeks to a month. The fruits can be picked up within two months of their setting. This occurs mostly between October and December. Tip: The best way to harvest fluted pumpkins is by slicing the crop under the lowest reachable leaf. You can yield about five hundred to a thousand kilograms of leaves per hectare, or even higher if you use the right management system. Its also possible to obtain two tons of seeds from three thousand pumpkins. Stage 5: Post-harvest Handling The last production practice for fluted pumpkins is their storage. Collected leaves maintain their freshness and health-beneficial attributes only for 24 hours unless contained in jute bags that can prolong their shelf life up to three days. Its recommended to sell the leaves to entrepreneurs wholesale, and let them handle the retail sales. The seeds are left untouched in the fruits until they are needed for sowing or eating. A fluted pumpkin can be shelved for a period of up to two months. Now youve discovered all the secret production practices for fluted pumpkins in Nigeria. If you know anyone that might benefit from learning this information, be sure to share it with them! Happy farming! READ ALSO: Grasscutter farming: A manual for beginners in Nigeria Source: Legit.ng - The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned politicians to halt campaigning for the 2019 general elections - The INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, stated that the ban on campaigns had not yet been lifted and anyone who goes about campaigning is carrying out an illegal activity - The Electoral Act states that the period of campaigning in public by every political party shall commence 90 days before polling day Ahead of the 2019 general elections, politicians have been warned by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to desist from campaigning, as the ban on campaigns has not yet been lifted, Vanguard reports. The warning was issued by the commissions chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, during a quarterly consultative meeting with newsmen. READ ALSO: Christian youths should go into politics - Olagunsoye Oyinlola He stated: Let me warn political parties and aspirants, we have not released the schedule of activities for the elections. Anything that anybody does is illegal before the law. They should wait for the time table of the elections. Legit.ng notes that Section 99 of the Electoral Act 201 (as amended), states: For the purpose of this Act, the period of campaigning in public by every political party shall commence 90 days before polling day and end 24 hours prior to that day. Upon conviction, anyone found guilty of contravening the law would be liable to a maximum fine of N500,000. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the 2019 presidential campaign posters of Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti state, have flooded some parts of Zaria, Kaduna state. The Ekiti state governor had earlier launched his presidential campaign on Facebook. Last week, Fayose officially declared his intention to contest the 2019 presidential election. In an elaborate ceremony at Chelsea Hotel, Abuja, on Thursday, September 28, the governor said his decision to contest the election is borne put of his love for Nigeria. Buhari 2019 posters hit the streets: Too early or too bad? on Legit.ng TV: Source: Legit.ng - The minister of state for petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, says the insubordination of NNPC GMD Baru could derail recorded strides in the countrys petroleum industry - He says he wrote to Buhari after being unable to have a one-on-one appointment with the president at the state house Former petroleum resources minister, Diezani Alison Madueke, pleads with a Federal High Court sitting Lagos to order the AGF to ensure her return to Nigeria The minister of state for petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, has called the attention of President Muhammadu Buhari to the alleged illegal practices and insubordination of the group managing director of the NNPC, Maikanti Baru. READ ALSO: 2019 election: Hamza Al-mustaphas presidential campaign poster surfaces Kachikwu in a letter dated August 30, told the president that the conducts of the NNPC GMD were counter productive to the countrys petroleum sector, Premium Times reports. Parastatals in the ministry and all CEOs of these parastatals must be aligned with the policy drive of the ministry to allow the sector register the growth that has eluded it for many years Kachikwu said. To do otherwise or to exempt any of the parastatals would be to emplace a stunted growth for the industry. In the letter which emerged on Tuesday, October 3, the minister of state for petroleum said he wrote to Buhari after he was unable to have a one-on-one appointment with the president at the state house. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app Copies of the letter has surfaced over the internet, but it is not clear how the letter became public. See copies of the letter below: Kachikwu accuses Maikanti Baru of insubordination, photo credit: Premium Times The minister of state for petroleum says Barus actions are counterproductive to the countrys petroleum sector, photo credit: Premium Times Kachikwus letter to President Buhari, photo credit: Premium Times Meanwhile, embattled former petroleum resources minister, Diezani Alison Madueke, has reportedly pleaded with a Federal High Court sitting Lagos to order the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) to ensure her return to Nigeria. The former minister said she was ready to stand in court and defend a criminal charge linked to her relating to an alleged laundering of N450 million. Alison-Madueke, has been in the UK since 2015 when Goodluck Jonathan lost the presidential election to Muhammadu Buhari. The Punch reports that the major defendants in the charge are Dele Belgore, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, and Professor Abubakar Suleiman, a former national planning minister. Are Nigerians truly tired of President Buhari? - on Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng - Nigeria's minister of information and culture has revealed the reason behind the high price of foodstuff in the country - Lai Mohammed also explained the various steps being taken by the government to improve the situation - The minister blamed corruption, infrastructure deficit among other things for the high cost of food While speaking on Africa Independent Television's (AIT) current affairs programme 'Focus Nigeria', Lai Mohammed revealed why despite the revolution witnessed in the agricultural sector, the cost of food items remains high. The minister of information and culture said it was because of infrastructural deficit and export demands. He said: Despite the fact that the production of staples like rice, grains, yam has increased with the agriculture revolution of the government, food items are still on the high side. There are many reasons why the prices are still up there but principally, I think it is infrastructural deficit. By this, I mean what it takes to bring the produce from the farms to the farm gates and from the farm gates to the city centres and this may not improve until various road and rail projects are completed. The good news, however, is that from october this year, the General Electric, which has the concession for the 3,500 narrow gauge rail routes will commence work. The Lagos to Kano standard gauge rail project and the Lagos to Calabar rail lines which will criss-cross all the southeastern states are priority projects of the government. That will help in the transportation of goods and services including agricultural produce at a far cheaper fare and that will percolate to the common man." READ ALSO: IPOB has shown it is a terrorist group - Lai Mohammed He also assured that the government would do all that is possible to ensure that the Lagos to Ibadan, Kano to Maiduguri and other critical roads across the country were completed. "There is so much demand on our grains and cereals from other parts of Africa. You cannot stop the farmers especially with the ECOWAS protocols that allows for free movement of goods and services. There is also a lot of demand for our grains from other parts of the world and as a matter of fact, we got over N30 billion from agricultural export in the second quarter of this year. I believe that with the economy picking up and the various infrastructural development coming up, Nigeria will very soon start to feel some relief. Also the presidential initiative to employ 10,000 people from each state in the agricultural sector will bring succour and a lot of relief, he said. READ ALSO: Nigeria does not need to take permission from foreign countries - Lai Mohammed Trying to assure Nigerians, he said: Living together for 57 years as an independent country with all the ups and downs and challenges and we are going stronger in all ramification. The present administration is getting its priorities right and focussed on the economy, good governance, security and improving the quality of life of Nigerians." The minister also reiterated the position of President Muhammadu Buhari that the administration would not rest on its oars until the impact of good governance is felt by all Nigerians. Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported earlier said that Lai Mohammed insisted Buharis administration should not be blamed for the infrastructural deficit in the country. The minister stated this on Monday, October 2, when he featured alongside other guests on the Nigeria Television Authority programme, Good Morning Nigeria, which focused on Nigeria at 57. How Lai Mohammed 'sold' Nigeria - on Legit.ng TV. Source: Legit.ng - The agitation for Biafra by the Igbo people in Nigeria has gained international attention - One clear indication of the far reaching impact is a recent mention of the agitation in the TIME magazine website - Biafra supporters posted the mention on their Facebook page as a sign of success That the agitation for Biafra is gaining international recognition is no news. On Monday, October 2, 2017, the prestigious TIME magazine spoke on the importance of self-determination. Below is the full quote mentioning the agitation for Biafra, the Catalan referendum in Spain among other separatist movements: A country of 250+ ethnic groups, Nigeria declared independence from Britain in 1960, but a couple of military coups in 1966 stoked underlying ethnic tensions. In 1967, southern groups (led by the Igbo people, one of Nigerias three major ethnic groupings) declared the independent Republic of Biafra in Nigerias south. Nigeria refused to recognize the breakaway state, and a 3-year civil war ensued. All told, more than 1 million people lost their lives, many due to starvation. Biafra surrendered in 1970. But defeating a secession movement on the battlefield is a far cry from defeating its spirit and nearly half a century later, the dream of Biafra remains alive. These and other nationalist currents continue to make Nigerian politics choppy, as does a president whose frail health has the country continuously on edge. Southern leaders have rejected secession calls as impractical. But the movement for Biafran statehood is still considered enough of a threat that the Nigerian military declared the Biafra separatist movement a terrorist group just a few weeks agoharkening back to a simpler time when just wanting a homeland of ones own was enough to be labeled a terrorist. A Facebook page, belonging to the IPOB movement had this to say on the mention: "Yesterday it was the London based Financial Times, today its the all powerful Times magazine of USA. "IPOB has accomplished something hitherto thought impossible. Biafra is the number 1 emerging nation in the world all thanks to millions of Nnamdi Kanus all over the world." READ ALSO: Kalu fires IPOB, says the groups false opinions about him will not stop his support for one Nigeria Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that members of separatist organisation IPOB alleged that their leaders misappropriated funds they contributed as more troubles beset the already embattled group. It was reported that US mobilization officer of the group Candy Stallworth raised the alarm on Monday, October 2 that funds of the IPOB are not being properly used. We need to understand the Biafra objective - on Legit.ng TV. Source: Legit.ng - A former director of the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T) has been sentenced to 40 years imprisonment - Benjamin Ogunbodede and tow others got the 40 year jail term for corruptly enriching himself to the tune of N177 million - However, Ogunmodede claims he and two other persons convicted alongside him spent N177m to bribe lawmakers and some employees of the Federal Ministry of Finance Justice Nathaniel Ayo-Emmanuel of the Federal High Court, Ibadan, on Tuesday, September 3, sentenced Benjamin Ogunbodede, a former director of the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T) , Ibadan, to 40 years imprisonment for corruptly enriching himself to the tune of N177 million. Zacheus Tejumola, a former Chief Accountant of the institute, was also sentenced to 40 years imprisonment while Clement Adenose, another staff, bagged four years in jail. READ ALSO: TIME magazine mentions Biafra supporters among world separatist movements In a judgment which lasted over two hours, Ayo-Emmanuel said that he convicted the trio based on the overwhelming evidence against them. The judge, however, said that he had no reason to convict them on count 13 due to want of evidence. There is no ambiguity in the facts tendered by the prosecution that the three convicts conspired, converted and stole the hazard allowance of N177 million belonging to the staff of IAR&T. Ogunbodede and Tejumola are therefore, sentenced to 40 years imprisonment each for their roles for counts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15 and 16. Adenose is sentenced to four years in prison. The sentences will, however, run concurrently, Ayo-Emmanuel stated. However, Ogunmodede claims he and two other persons convicted alongside him spent N177m to bribe lawmakers and some employees of the Federal Ministry of Finance. They claimed that a huge part of the money was used to bribe members of House of Representatives and some staff of the Federal Ministry of Finance who facilitated the release of the fund for the research institute, Punch reports. Earlier, Mr Tunde Olupona, the counsel to Ogunbodede, had pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy in sentencing his client. He argued that his client lacked administrative experience in running such a sensitive position. Similarly, Mr I.A Salawu and Mrs Yetunde Adegboye, counsel to Tejumola and Adenose, pleaded with the court to show mercy to their clients, citing various portions of the constitution. However, Mr Nkwuruka Amana, the counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, urged the court to sentence the convicts in accordance with the stipulation of the law. Ogunbodede, Tejumola and Adenose along with 10 others had since 2014 been standing trial over a 16-count charge bordering on conspiracy, unlawful conversion and stealing of N177 million hazard allowance belonging to the staff of the institute. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app Ten of the defendants had earlier pleaded guilty and opted for plea bargain arrangement. Nine out of the 10 previously convicted were different companies which Ogunbodede, Tejumola and Adenose indirectly used to siphon the N177 million. Olupona, who spoke after the judgment, told NAN that he and his other colleagues were still studying the judgment and would in due course take appropriate decision on whether to appeal or not. Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reports that the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Walter Onnoghen, has ordered heads of the divisions of courts to create special courts for corruption and financial crimes cases. Onnoghen said this directive is to end the unnecessary delay associated with the prosecution of corruption cases. The CJN also ordered that all lists of pending corruption cases in the various courts be forwarded to the National Judicial Council (NJC). Order' placed on her accounts. The EFCC stage a walk against corruption - on Legit.ng TV. Source: Legit.ng This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 496 donors have already invested in our efforts to combat corruption and predatory conduct, particularly in the financial realm. Please join us and participate via our donation page, which shows how to give via check, credit card, debit card, or PayPal. Read about why were doing this fundraiser, what weve accomplished in the last year and our current goal, more meetups and travel. Trade South Korean Trade Minister Kim Hyun-chong had a stark message for lawmakers and other officials he met with last week: Seoul is willing to let President Donald Trump kill the [KORUS trade] pact, rather than bow to unreasonable U.S. demands for concessions to bring bilateral trade more into balance [Politico]. Hes not going to beg and grovel to stay in this, a source familiar with one of Kims meetings told Morning Trade. Hollywood has been whining about the DMCAs safe harbors quite a bit in the past few years (yes, the same safe harbors that are from the DMCA that it forced the US to pass via international trade agreements). So far, however, heavy lobbying by the RIAA and MPAA to do away with the DMCAs safe harbors has failed to convince Congress (in part because Congress has seen through this game and, in part, because Congress still remembers what happened with its attempt to undermine the internet through copyright law with SOPA) [TechDirt]. But, hey, with the reopening of NAFTA, Hollywood saw an opportunity, and has pushed for language that will undermine the DMCAs safe harbors and fair use things they cant get through Congress alone. Unfortunately, the latest reports are that the USTR has agreed to support this move. Politics 2020 At Iowa steak fry, Bustos, Moulton and Ryan call on Democrats to refocus on Midwest working class [Des Moines Register]. We let those people down. We let em down, Ryan, an eight-term Ohio congressman, told the crowd. We didnt see them. We didnt listen to them. We didnt hear them. If we want to be a national party, not a coastal party, a national political party in the United States, weve got to get those workers back from Iowa, Ohio, Wisconsin, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Kentucky Those are our people. We gotta go and get them. Frankly, my fellow Democrats, they dont want resistance; they want results, Bustos said of Midwest voters, twisting the Resist mantra often heard among liberals since Trump became president. Sounds like centrists trying to steal Bernies clothes Also, folks. Ugh. 2018 Collins agonizes over decision to ditch the Senate [Politico]. Im from the northern part of the state, which needs a lot of help two-thirds of the state is losing population and opportunity, [Collins] said. I have some ideas for economic development that only a governor can pursue.' Challenging. Conservatives furious about Gov. Bruce Rauners expansion of taxpayer-funded abortion in Illinois are threatening to put up a challenger against the first-term governor in next springs Republican primary [AP]. 2017 [The Moore v. Strange] race [in Alabama] was yet another sign of the realignment that is taking place within the Republican Party (theres one underway among Democrats, too) because of a culture war within the GOP. The battle pitted the populist, antiestablishment Moore, the candidate of downscale whites as well as evangelical and other social and cultural conservatives, against the traditional, upscale, business-oriented Strange, the candidate of the country clubs and Episcopalians and Presbyterians [Cook Political Report]. To lose, Moore would likely have to make a gigantic faux pas, something along the lines of then-Rep. Todd Akins comment about legitimate rape, which handed the 2012 Missouri Senate election to Sen. Claire McCaskill and cost the GOP a precious seat. Moores track record of explosive comments has to make Republicans nervous, and at least on paper, Jones, the Democrat, looks pretty good, but Alabama is still Alabama, and he needs a huge break to win. Oh dear: All hope is lost for #alsen. Jones is using @teammothership so it will be another abusive email program ala @ossoff with zero winning. Melissa Byrne (@mcbyrne) October 1, 2017 Mothership Strategies were last seen collecting millions of dollars in the Ossoff debacle. Ka-ching. 2016 Post Mortem The Resistance in Tribeca (hat tip AM): Nice plates on that Tesla Wish Id thought of this: Like this? pic.twitter.com/iMWTXfNzgQ Nurse Ratched (@veggie64_leslie) September 29, 2017 New Cold War Last week, the Russians were responsible for Black Lives Matter. This week, theyre responsible for the NRA: The NRA spent $30m to elect Trump, standing by him after other GOP groups left him. Why? The answer may be in Moscowhttps://t.co/LkP4UnXPyZ Brian Fallon (@brianefallon) October 3, 2017 Damn. Whats that warbling sound? Health Care House candidates back single-payer healthcare plan in Virginia [Inside NOVA]. Lee Carter, a Democrat running for a Manassas-area seat in the House of Delegates, is leading a crop of House candidates pledging to push for a state-level, single-payer healthcare system if they reach Richmond. Carter joined 15 other Democratic hopefuls in announcing the new initiative Oct. 2, which is aimed at radically reforming Virginias healthcare system to cover all of the states 8.4 million residents. This is great, but the currency issuer really needs to run #MedicareForAll. Do we really want to be cutting health care budgets in recessions? Because thats what will happen with state-level funding. Realignment and Legitimacy Justices Split on Voting Maps Warped by Politics [New York Times]. In extended remarks, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. expressed worry that the courts authority and legitimacy would be harmed were it to start striking down voting districts in favor of one political party or another. That is going to cause very serious harm to the status and integrity of the decisions of this court, he said. After Bush v. Gore without which, Roberts might not even bee on the Court the Court has no integrity. Focus Group Reveals Democrats Have a Lot of Work to Do With Black Millennials [NBC News]. [T]hey were divided about whether the Democratic Party was for them or neither for nor against them. I think the Democratic Party took [our] votes for granted, said one participant. Thats true, but the Democrats take everybodys vote for granted. Except wealthy suburban Republicans, of course. Every Member of Congress Who Took Money From the NRA and Tweeted Thoughts and Prayers to Las Vegas [Splinter News]. On prayer, see Matthew 6:5-8. Stats Watch Gallup US Economic Confidence Index, September 2017: Confidence in the economy declined slightly to plus 4 in September, down from Augusts plus 6. While the ECI climbed past the plus 10 mark in January, Septembers score of plus 4 represents a continuation of economic attitudes that have held since May, apart from a brief increase in early August after the Dow hit 22,000 [Econoday]. Even if overall confidence in the economy has stagnated recently, confidence remains notably higher compared with any month between 2008 and November 2016. Coincident Indicators: Philly Fed: State Coincident Indexes increased in 27 states in August [Econintersect]. The reason for the recent sharp decrease in the number of states with increasing activity is unclear and might be revised away. And but: More data that shows we may already be in recession, and in line with the deceleration in bank lending [Warren Mosler]. Employment Situation: The jobs report provides an important high-frequency feel for the state of the U.S. labor market, the consequences for consumption (the biggest component of gross domestic product, with domestic and international effects), and the implications for policies (both what is likely to occur and what should happen) [Mohamed A. El-Erian, Bloomberg]. More recently, however, there has been a breakdown in these relationships. Neither the rate of growth in wages nor the labor participation rate has responded well to the historic run of high job creation and to the decline in the unemployment rate to historically low levels. In addition, wages, in particular, have evolved into an indicator of a broader economic phenomenon that speaks directly to the notable level of social discontent and feeds into political polarization and the erosion of trust in institutions and expert opinion. Read to the end, and youll see that El-Erian is notably light on solutions. Commodities: Why lithium, why now? [Mining.com]. Bloomberg reports that global battery-making capacity is set to more than double by 2021, topping 278 gigawatt-hours a year compared to 103 gigawatt-hours at present. Theres a looming problem[:] There isnt enough lithium currently being mined to supply all those gigafactorys. A round-up, well worth a read. Shipping: Worldwide air freight maintained its strong growth momentum throughout the summer, with a further double-digit year-on-year volume increase in August [Lloyds Loading List]. Retail: More than half of Americans dont think stores should be open for business on Thanksgiving Day. More than another quarter dont care whether stores are open, and just 16% think stores should be open on the holiday [247 Wall Street]. As of Monday morning, 56 retailers, including some of the countrys largest and best-known companies, have confirmed that stores will be closed on Thanksgiving Day. Sensible. The less hysteria over shopping the better. Maybe the online sites can shut down too. Retail: [Under Amazon, Whole Foods] price cuts were by as much as 43% [MarketWatch]. Whats important here is that after the Whole Foods acquisition and the price cuts foot traffic jumped by roughly 33% in the first week, according to the research firm Thasos Group. The firm also noted that Walmart regulars accounted for the largest percentage of first-time customers. During this week, 24% of new Whole Foods customers were previously loyal Walmart customers. [T]he firm said that Trader Joes saw about 10% of its regular customers go to Whole Foods, and Sprouts saw roughly 8%. The Bezzle: Amazon will be slapped with tax fine by the EU on Wednesday, report says [CNBC]. The European Union is contending that Amazon used Luxembourg as a tax haven and that it had established unfair partnerships with the country in an effort to skirt European taxes on 3 billion euros ($3.5 billion) in royalties. Such moves were seen as unfair by rivals, the FT said. The level of the fine was not reported. The Bezzle: Exclusive: U.S. mulls further Wells Fargo sanction over sales abuses source [Reuters]. Wake me when an executive is criminally charged. The Bezzle: [Tesla,] the Silicon Valley electric-car maker built just 260 of its new automobile in the third quarter with production bottlenecks undercutting Teslas plans to move 1,500 Model 3s to the market [Wall Street Journal]. Looks like Musks production hell isnt working out so well for him. 260. Thats not a lot. The Bezzle: The most shocking thing about this report isnt even the low Model 3 production number, said Mark Spiegel of Stanphyl Capital. Its that Model S and X sales were only up 4.5% year-over-year despite massive discounting and before all the luxury EV competition arrives next year from Jaguar and Audi and in 2019 from Mercedes and Porsche. This is supposed to be a hypergrowth company' [Los Angeles Times]. Although sales are tiny compared with the major auto companies and Tesla has spent billions in cash without profit, its stock price has exceeded that of Ford and General Motors. The Bezzle: Anthony Levandowski and Travis Kalanick first meet at a TED Talk [Recode]. I believe it. The Bezzle: [T]esting of trains and driverless trucks has been plagued by problems such as software glitches. Rio Tintos success this week highlights the near-term potential of autonomous transportation technology in closed-loop systems where vehicles wont have to move in bigger and more unpredictable transport networks [Wall Street Journal]. And when the developers cant get to Level 5 Autonomous Vehicles in open systems, which they wont, you can bet theyll try to turn open systems into closed loops, because thats how programmers think, and thats how Silicon Valley thinks. So, billions of dollars to make our roads safe for robot cars. Why not build trains? The Bezzle: Goldman Sachs Might Be Desperate Enough To Start Trading Bitcoin [DealBreaker]. Bitcoin may be a bubble. It sure looks like one to Ray Dalio. Even its most ardent admirers think so. But as the dot-come bubble and subprime mortgage bubble and, well, every other bubble in history teaches, there is money to be made on bubbles. And Goldman Sachs? Yea, it needs to make some more money. So where Jamie Dimon sees a stupid fad and firing offense, Lloyd Blankfein sees an opportunity. The Bezzle: Equifax auditors are on the hook for data security risk controls [Francine McKenna, MarketWatch]. A companys external auditor is supposed to be an objective independent watchdog, the first line of defense for shareholders and the public when company executives and the board fail to protect them. [B]efore [Equifaxs auditor Ernst & Young (EY)] even thinks about reviewing and testing the numbers, it must make sure that company executives set the right tone at the top about controls, including of its IT systems, to ensure Equifax is protecting its biggest assetthe consumer information it sells to banks and other organizations that generates most of its revenues. Private Equity: The COO at BlackRock explains why the $5.7 trillion investment giant is a growth technology company' [Business Insider]. Five Horsemen: Facebook sails serenely on, as Amazon writhes with Whole Foods heartburn [Hat tip, Jim Haygood]. Todays Fear & Greed Index: 88 Extreme Greed (previous close: 89, Extreme Greed) [CNN]. One week ago: 67 (Greed). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Oct 3 at 11:35am. Our Famously Free Press After Las Vegas shooting, Facebook and Google get the news wrong again [Engadget]. Looks like Google needs to tweak that algo Gaia Can ice structures solve a Himalayan water crisis? [BBC]. We are freezing water that goes unused in winter and, because of the geometric shape it doesnt melt till late spring, says [engineer Sonam Wangchuk]. In late spring the artificial glacier starts to melt and water can be used for drip-irrigation of crops. Guillotine Watch Former congressman Anthony Weiner cried when a judge sentenced him to 21 months in prison last week for sexting with a 15-year-old girl. Prison is tough and most felons have no idea what to expect. For a few thousand dollars, however, high-profile felons like Weiner can hire a prison consultant to help smooth the transition to life behind bars [MarketWatch]. Idea: Oh, forget it. Class Warfare Argument analysis: An epic day for employers in arbitration case? [SCOTUSBlog]. In the first oral argument of the new term, a divided Supreme Court seemed likely to uphold employment agreements that require an an employee to resolve a dispute with an employer through individual arbitration, waiving the possibility of proceeding collectively. More: The conflict among the justices could be captured by two exchanges this morning. The first came when Chief Justice John Roberts, in a back-and-forth with University of Virginia law professor Daniel Ortiz, who represented one of the employees in the case, observed that a decision in favor of Ortizs client would invalidate employment agreements covering 25 million people a step that several of the justices would be reluctant to take, particularly given the courts strong support of arbitration in recent years. Justice Stephen Breyer, on the other hand, had a very different concern: He told Paul Clement, who represented the employers in the case, that he had not seen a path for Clements clients to win without undermining and changing radically the labor laws that are the entire heart of the New Deal. Thats not a bug. Its a feature. Is the Rise of Contract Workers Killing Upward Mobility? [Knowledge@Wharton]. [A]ll of the net employment growth in the U.S. economy from 2005 to 2015 appears to have occurred in alternative work arrangements, write Katz and Krueger in The Rise and Nature of Alternative Work Arrangements in the United States, 1995-2015. Using data from the Current Population Survey and the Survey of Income and Program Participation, [Wharton management professor Adam Cobb and University of Texas at Austin sociology assistant professor Ken-Hou Lin] find that in 1989, although all private-sector workers benefited from a firm-size wage premium, the premium was significantly higher for individuals at the lower end and middle of the wage distribution compared to those at the higher end. But between 1989 and 2014, the average firm-size wage premium declined markedly. Significantly, the decline was exclusive to those at the lower end and middle of the wage distribution while there was no change for those at the higher end. They conclude that the uneven declines in the premium across the wage spectrum could account for about 20% of rising wage inequality during this period. The Rise and Nature of Alternative Work Arrangements in the United States, 1995-2015 [Lawrence F. Katz and Alan B. Krueger, NBER]. Amazingly, I linked to this exactly one year ago, so here it is again. News of the Wired A blivet: Apple now sells an iPhone dongle with a headphone jack and charging port https://t.co/FcSkDw9ePT pic.twitter.com/PRTt29rvB5 The Verge (@verge) October 3, 2017 Not so slim after all, eh? Facebook Lies [Iain R. Learmonth]. Apparently, you cant actually delete your Facebook account. Nobel Prize goes to researchers who figured out how our cells tell time [Ars Technica]. Microbes, plants, and animals all run on a 24-hour cycle, one thats flexible enough to gradually reset itself, although it can take a few days after transcontinental travel. The biological systems responsible for maintaining this circadian clock require a lot of proteins that undergo complex interactions, and the new laureates are being honored for their use of genetics to start unraveling this complexity. Technology is destroying the most important asset in your life [Quartz]. The most important asset in your life isnt time, but attention. The quality of the experiences in your life doesnt depend on how many hours there are in the day, but in how the hours you have are used. But its not your asset any more, is it? * * * Readers, feel free to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, with (a) links, and even better (b) sources I should curate regularly, (c) how to send me a check if you are allergic to PayPal, and (d) to find out how to send me images of plants. Vegetables are fine! Fungi are deemed to be honorary plants! If you want your handle to appear as a credit, please put it in the subject line. Otherwise, I will anonymize by using your initials. See the previous Water Cooler (with plant) here. Todays plant (AE-L): AE-L writes: A beautiful but poisonous mushroom photographed in a forest near Oslo, capital city of Norway. This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 452 donors have already invested in our efforts to combat corruption and predatory conduct, particularly in the financial realm. Please join us and participate via our donation page, which shows how to give via check, credit card, debit card, or PayPal. Read about why were doing this fundraiser, what weve accomplished in the last year and our current goal, more meetups and travel. Yves here. I have a small quibble with Gaius piece. He claims No large company can survive with no growth it will die or be absorbed into another large company. That simply isnt accurate. First, a private company can be managed for any objective that suits its owners: serving a vanity market and only occasionally being profitable (as in being a bragging rights project for the owners), keeping neer do well relatives employed, or being a nice stable business in a mature market that throws off steady cash flow. Public companies are subject to demands from shareholders for growth in revenues or dividends. Even then, some public companies have enough ownership by insiders so as to be able to be run as fiefdoms (think of Larry Ellisons relationship to Oracle). Most entrepreneurs who do not harbor squillionaire fantasies seek to create businesses in defensible markets (say niches that have barriers to entry or scale factors) and repeat customers. Those are the best candidates to generate good cash flow. A businessman understands that cash flow, and not growth, is what defines a truly successful venture. Another way to look at it is that the fetish with growth at the business level (as opposed to the economy level, where a pie that keeps getting bigger on a per head basis makes it a lot easier to manage social issues) is to a significant degree a creation of the 1980s and 1990s. In the 1980s, raiders funded by Mike Milken made fortunes by buying overdiversified conglomerates that were trading at a discount in the stock market. These vultures were able to spin what was almost without exception mere financial engineering as entrepreneurs showing up corporate bureaucrats. The fact that these takeover artists became so fabulously rich also led to fawning press coverage as well as advocacy masquerading as academic research arguing that corporate executives needed to be paid like entrepreneurs, as in get more stock incentives. The leading light of that movement, Michael Jensen, has repudiated that work, but as we know, it lives on and continues to have destructive effects. Mind you, I am not saying that there would not be companies that would be run with growth as a major goal, but the preoccupation with growth is a result of a change in ideology. By Gaius Publius, a professional writer living on the West Coast of the United States and frequent contributor to DownWithTyranny, digby, Truthout, and Naked Capitalism. Follow him on Twitter @Gaius_Publius, Tumblr and Facebook. GP article archive here. Originally published at DownWithTyranny The video above comes in two parts the first four minutes or so deals with the title problem, and the last two minutes offers a solution. Note those two sections and the points they make as you watch. Ill address each point separately below. Capitalism, Infinite Growth and Climate Change We seem to have turned the corner on American belief that climate change will result in a bad end for us unless we stop it or alter its trajectory. Most Americans, however secretly, have come at last to that conclusion, even if (or perhaps because) they think the us in the previous sentence is other people, the un- or soon-to-be-born. Even Republican office holders are starting to affirm the obvious trajectory of climate change, not to mention ordinary Republican voters of all stripes and kinds. Yes, there are still deniers and agnostics in the mix, but I dont think they represent the majority of the nation any more. That tide has turned, if only just. We have also likely turned the tide on the notion that infinite economic growth, defined as more cans and bottles for you, more and greater wealth for the rich, can be sustained, though most dont realize it yet. Watch the first four minutes of the video above and ask yourself Who doubts the main point made? Is there anyone you know (or know of) who thinks we can have infinite growth on a finite planet and survive? Likely no one. Its the connection pf infinite growth to capitalism that hangs people up. Most dont see yet that infinite growth more cans of coke, more terrible fast food restaurants, more smart phones you cant repair is required for our present economic system to continue to function. They dont see the present economy, defined as the production of things, as requiring infinite growth. Does a corner grocery store need infinite growth to survive? they ask. Obviously not. And isnt a corner grocery store capitalism? But todays capitalism isnt the world of the corner grocery store, where the owner who lives upstairs can do well by earning enough to meet his or her expenses, year after sustainable year. That world has become this one, a world of giant companies eating giant companies in order to grow, absorbing others to ensure theyre not the next prey, because quarterly earnings can never be said to be flat when market analysts come calling. No large company can survive with no growth it will die or be absorbed into another large company. And at some point, all of this growth will end. Grow or die is one of the marks of late stage capitalism, with die the inevitable end of all of them. Just as late stage capitalism is unsustainable, by the way, so too is infinitely increasing income inequality, a situation into which were heading, both nationally and internationally. The image of a world collapsing under the burden of extreme wealth inequality brings to mind one of the most memorable lines from the video above: Imagine what it means for your personal security as a heavily armed civilian population gets angrier and angrier about why this was allowed to happen. Sound familiar? Sound like it may be nascent now? Why Dont We Choose Differently? All of the above situations suggest a grand problem statement one that American citizens, indeed world citizens, are coming to grips with as we speak. Is this trains journey sustainable into the future? If not, how do we get off? Just as the first four minutes of the video engender fear, the final two minutes water the tree of hope, suggesting that humankind can fix these problems if only it wishes to. I too believe that we can fix these problems hold at bay a collapse due to the twin tsunamis of wealth inequality and climate-cause chaos at least within limits, if we choose to. In fact Ive offered an Easter Island solution to the problem of addressing climate change, offered it many times: Youre a villager on Easter Island. People are cutting down trees right and left, and many are getting worried. At some point, the number of worried villagers reaches critical mass, and they go as a group to the island chief and say, Look, we have to stop cutting trees, like now. The chief, whos also CEO of a wood products company, checks his bottom line and orders the cutting to continue. Do the villagers walk away? Or do they depose the chief? Theres always a choice Its a simple solution, and certainly not unique to me. Naomi Klein, for example, brings it up in a different form every time she speaks depose the chief and run the island ourselves. So what prevents us from choosing that? Manufactured Hopelessness For the answer Ill turn to David Graeber. This is from his excellent book Debt: The First 5,000 Years (quoted here, my emphasis throughout). Graeber begins: There is very good reason to believe that, in a generation or so, capitalism itself will no longer exist most obviously, as ecologists keep reminding us, because its impossible to maintain an engine of perpetual growth forever on a finite planet, and the current form of capitalism doesnt seem to be capable of generating the kind of vast technological breakthroughs and mobilizations that would be required for us to start finding and colonizing other planets. Yet, faced with the prospect of capitalism actually ending, the most common reaction even from those who call themselves progressives is simply fear. We cling to what exists because we can no longer imagine an alternative that wouldnt be even worse. This is in line with the video presenters idea, that fear is our natural reaction to this awareness, and fear can lead us to make changes. Graeber then explains why, instead of experiencing fear that spurs us to action, were gripped by fear that locks us to inaction: How did we get here? My own suspicion is that we are looking at the final effects of the militarization of American capitalism itself. In fact, it could well be said that the last thirty years have seen the construction of a vast bureaucratic apparatus for the creation and maintenance of hopelessness, a giant machine designed, first and foremost, to destroy any sense of possible alternative futures. He means militarization as a metaphor, that the apparatus, the giant machine hes talking about, is a form of capitalism thats been weaponized and propagandized as a defense against its own consumer base, which is all of us. When has any major companys commercial not had as its secondary message, Were doing this because we want to help you, whatever else the primary message for example, This $1000 drug is your only hope may be? Every bought commercial paints its purchasing corporation as noble, as the solution, when in fact its purchaser is the problem. That description is true even of those benign-appearing car ads that offer off-road freedom to wage slaves chained to cubicle farms. The fault is never the corporate-dominated life; the solution is the corporate-dominated life. Or so says the commercial. Do the wage slaves of the car companies buy those cars to experience freedom? You cant have that In the passage above, Graeber, writing in 2011 about manufactured hopelessness, also presciently reminds us of Hillary Clintons virtual campaign slogan, You cant have that. This still serves as a slogan for the current neoliberal support for Medicare for All in Al Frankens words, its aspirational, something to want but never to expect to get. Graeber then exposes the inner workings of the apparatus of manufactured hopelessness: At its root is a veritable obsession on the part of the rulers of the world in response to the upheavals of the 1960s and 1970s with ensuring that social movements cannot be seen to grow, flourish, or propose alternatives; that those who challenge existing power arrangements can never, under any circumstances, be perceived to win. To do so requires creating a vast apparatus of armies, prisons, police, various forms of private security firms and military intelligence apparatus, and propaganda engines of every conceivable variety, most of which do not attack alternatives directly so much as create a pervasive climate of fear, jingoistic conformity, and simple despair that makes any thought of changing the world seem an idle fantasy. Maintaining this apparatus seems even more important to exponents of the free market, even than maintaining any sort of viable market economy. Economically, the apparatus is pure dead weight; all the guns, surveillance cameras, and propaganda engines are extraordinarily expensive and really produce nothing, and no doubt its yet another element dragging the entire capitalist system down along with producing the illusion of an endless capitalist future that laid the groundwork for the endless bubbles to begin with. He concludes: Finance capital became the buying and selling of chunks of that future, and economic freedom, for most of us, was reduced to the right to buy a small piece of ones own permanent subordination. In other words, there seems to have been a profound contradiction between the political imperative of establishing capitalism as the only possible way to manage anything, and capitalisms own unacknowledged need to limit its future horizons, lest speculation, predictably, go haywire. Once it did, and the whole machine imploded, we were left in the strange situation of not being able to even imagine any other way that things might be arranged. About the only thing we can imagine is catastrophe. A being can nibble on itself from time to time, but it cannot eat itself forever and live. Consumed with that which it was nourished by In the capitalist vision of infinite growth, we see, to paraphrase Shakespeares words the glowing of such fire That on the ashes of its youth doth lie, As the death-bed whereon it must expire Consumed with that which it was nourished by. In other words, that which feeds it, eats it. Infinite growth, the fuel of late-stage capitalism, can only burn it down to a bed of ashes that lingers briefly warm, then dies. What drags us into hopelessness is the carefully manufactured illusion that there is no possible economy but a free market economy, despite (a) the fact that no free market ever existed anywhere, and doesnt exist now; and (b) that successful communal non-competitive markets exist everywhere around us. Start by looking within your own family. Or at any community that sustains its weaker members rather than feeds on them. At Social Security, say. Or Medicare. Medicare isnt aspirational, Mr. Neoliberal. Its already here. How do we know we can have that? Because we already do have that. We just want a little more of it. By Lee Camp, the host and head writer of the comedy news show Redacted Tonight that airs every Friday on RT America and at YouTube.com/RedactedTonight. Hes a former comedy writer for the Onion and the Huffington Post The corporate media is nervous now. Theyre nervous because people are waking up to the realization that the mainstream media almost without exception toes a pro-war, pro-Wall Street, pro-profit-over-people line. Cable news and the other corporate info sources rarely question the heart of our system. We know now they will never provide us with all the information we need to act as an informed republic. Every topic they cover is weighed against a giant sack of dollar bills. The corporate media is nervous because this awakening has proved so powerful it nearly made Bernie Sanders the Democratic nominee even though Hillary Clinton received at least 10 times as much media coverage as him and Donald Trump received 23 times as much. They are nervous because Black Lives Matter became a powerful force despite largely negative corporate media coverage. They are nervous because Occupy Wall Street became an international phenomenon despite zero media coverage for the first several weeks, followed by largely negative coverage. They are nervous because Standing Rock became a national flashpoint for the fight against big oil and big corporations, even though it also received little to no corporate media coverage. They are nervous because Americans are talking about things like single-payer healthcare, legalizing marijuana, shrinking our military empire (with roughly 1,000 military bases around the world), keeping net neutrality, and so much more. Even though these issues are nearly blacked out on mainstream corporate media, Americans are talking about them and getting angry. So where is the information coming from if not the giant media monopolies? This world-changing news and thought is pouring forth from crucial outlets like Naked Capitalism. If we want to even begin to have hope that human beings can stand up against inverted totalitarianism and the rule of the corporate state, then we all need to support alternative media. That means you. Now. Give whatever you can, whether its $5 or $50 or $5000. The Tip Jar tells you how. I have a unique relationship with Naked Capitalism because the first time I wrote a piece for Yves was after I was extensively attacked on the front page of the arts section in the New York Times. Apparently the mainstream outlets are so nervous about alternative media, that theyre devoting entire hit pieces to political comedians who say all the things they refuse to. I penned an in-depth response to the propaganda unleashed against me and none of the outlets I approached were willing to publish it except Naked Capitalism. Once my response went viral, garnering hundreds of thousands of views and forcing the New YorkTimes to issue corrections Only THEN did other outlets pick up my piece. So without Naked Capitalism, Im not sure the truth about the New York Times utter bullshit wouldve gotten out there. There is an information war going on right now. Google and Facebook have joined the corporate media forces. Their new search protocols have crushed the traffic to many leading left-wing sites. YouTube has also demonitized and suppressed many, if not all, leading alternative news channels. For all these reasons it is crucial you help Naked Capitalism continue its work. We are willing to pay for so much in our society. 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Give like you mean it. Even if thats only a little, it makes a difference because others can provide more. You are investing in getting better information, making voices heard, and loosening the stranglehold of elite bought-and-paid for corporate media. You are investing in your future. (Natural News) The Flemish government has joined the number of countries banning glyphosate, as reported by the Baum Hedlund. The prohibition on the use of glyphosate is not new in the country as the Belgian cities of Brussels and Wallonia have already issued their own laws regarding the individual use of the chemical. In addition to Belgium, four more countries have banned glyphosate for this year. These are: Malta The country was the first European country to ban the use of this controversial weedkiller. Sri Lanka The President of Sri Lanka also banned the use of glyphosate nationwide to protect the health of the its citizens. The herbicide has been linked to a quintuple increase in the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the nation and resulted in about 20,000 deaths in northern Sri Lanka. The Netherlands The Netherlands likewise prohibited the herbicide after hearing the arguments of Party for Animals, an organization that focuses on animal rights issues. Argentina Meanwhile in Argentina, about 30,000 doctors demanded the prohibition of glyphosate in their country since the chemical is associated with cancer, spontaneous abortions, birth defects, skin diseases, respiratory illness, and neurological disease. In 2015, the World Health Organizations International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) identified glyphosate as a potential carcinogen to humans. They found a strong association between glyphosate and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which is a type of blood cancer that affects the white blood cells called lymphocytes. Lawsuits against Roundup Monsantos flagship product began piling in after the IARC report. Over 1,100 people all over the U.S.have filed lawsuits against Monsanto. Allegedly, exposure to Roundup caused them to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma. There are more than 50 lawsuits against Monsanto that continue to pile up in the U.S. District Court in San, Francisco. Moreover, the glyphosate manufacturer is also facing a class action lawsuit in Wisconsin after six consumers claimed that Roundup was falsely promoted as safe when it actually caused adverse impacts on human gut bacteria. Earlier this year, the California Environmental Protection Agencys Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment confirmed that glyphosate would be added to Californias Proposition 65 list of chemicals known to cause cancer. (Related: Glyphosate and cancer: Read how this deadly weed killer promotes multiple myeloma, leukemia, sperm damage, infertility, kidney damage, autism, endocrine disruption, DNA damage and birth defects.) More on glyphosate Glyphosate is an herbicide that is used on the leaves of plants. It is the most widely-used chemical for this purpose, with about 9.4 million tons having been sprayed on fields to date. It was first approved for use in the United States in 1974. It was initially produced by Monsanto and is best known as the active ingredient in the companys Roundup herbicides. It will kill most plants since it is a non-selective herbicide, which prevents the plants from producing the important proteins that they need for plant growth. This chemical stops the shikimic acid pathway that is necessary for plants and some microorganisms. Over 750 products that contain glyphosate are sold in the U.S. market. Many countries continue to ban the chemical because of the proven health risks that it causes humans. Sources include: BaumHedlundLaw.com News.BackToTheRoots.com GlobalResearch.ca NPIC.orst.edu USRTK.org (Natural News) As authorities continue to piece together information that will help them better understand the motives behind the Las Vegas murders, one thing has become abundantly clear already: The fully automatic firearms the shooter is believed to have used are extremely rare, heavily regulated and expensive to own/obtain. Already insane Democrats are blaming the guns and not the shooter, who could be a terrorist operative for all we know at this point. Thats a typical, politically-motivated response for far-Left liberal Democrats who really want to ban all guns regardless of how they function. That said, its worth noting that the use of an automatic weapon to commit this horrific crime is so rare as to be statistically immeasurable. In fact, the last time an automatic weapon was used to commit mass murder was decades ago. As for obtaining one of these weapons, there are a number of very expensive hoops you must jump through and several legal hurdles to clear before the government will let you have one. Fully automatic weapons have been banned for civilians who have not first obtained special permission from local law enforcement and the federal government since 1934, following passage of the National Firearms Act. If youve been convicted of a felony, you need not even bother to apply. Even some misdemeanors will disqualify you. There is a form that local police must sign off on before you can proceed any further. If they dont sign, you dont get your weapon. Each gun is subject to a $200 tax every time it changes hands, and each time that happens, owners must be federally registered and approved by Uncle Sam and local law enforcement before the transfer/purchase can occur. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives regulate the sale and licensure of automatic weapons. Also, since the Firearms Owners Protection Act of 1986, ownership of newly manufactured machine guns weapons made after that law was passed is prohibited outright to civilians. That legislation dramatically limited the number of automatic weapons that could even be obtained by anyone other than police, the military, and federal agents. Because the number of full-auto weapons is very low there were some 240,000 registered weapons in 1995 the price of a machine gun is very high and, for most Americans, prohibitively high. Just as an example, I have a friend who bought a 1970s-era M-16 rifle and it cost him $20,000. There are some states that completely ban automatic weapons, period, despite the federal requirement to be licensed, further limiting where these guns can be legally owned. (Related: Five things that just dont add up about the Las Vegas mass shooting.) CNN idiot Don Lemon once said that automatic weapons are easy to buy. Broadcasting from Ferguson, Mo., in the wake of the Michael Brown incident and subsequent rioting, Lemon who was there to further fan the flames of division and lie about what did and did not happen in the Brown case had a back-and-forth with conservative radio host Ben Ferguson over the issue. Lets deal with the facts here, Ferguson said. A semi-automatic weapon is a gun that you or I are allowed to own and in different places they have different rules. But to imply that anyone can just go out and buy an automatic weapon is just not true, Don. What do you mean? Lemon said. During the theater shooting in Colorado, I was able to go and buy an automatic weapon, and I maybe have shot a gun three, four times in my life. I dont live in Colorado. I think most people can go out and buy an automatic weapon. Thats completely false and irresponsible because it proves that Lemon did zero research before making that ridiculous claim. An automatic weapon is something that you can shoot off a number of rounds very quickly, he said. But thats not the legal definition of an automatic weapon; turns out Lemon went out and bought an AR-15, which may look like a fully-auto M-4, but is in actuality a semi-automatic rifle. The truth is, the average Joe or Jane cannot legally obtain a fully-automatic weapon. So it will be interesting to see where Vegas shooter got his. J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for NaturalNews.com and NewsTarget.com, as well as editor of The National Sentinel. Sources include: Politifact.com Class3WeaponsLicense.com TheNationalSentinel.com The victims just kept coming. In cars, in ambulances waiting four or five deep, from the walking wounded to the barely alive, they arrived in droves. "I have no idea who I operated on," said Dr. Jay Coates, a trauma surgeon whose hospital took in many of the wounded after a gunman opened fire from his 32nd-floor hotel suite Sunday night on a country music concert below. "They were coming in so fast, we were taking care of bodies. We were just trying to keep people from dying." It was the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, with at least 58 killed and 527 injured, some by gunfire, some during the chaotic escape. Scores remained in critical condition Tuesday. Authorities say the gunman set up cameras inside and outside the hotel room where he opened fire on the crowd at a country music concert. Sheriff Joe Lombardo said at a news conference Tuesday that he believes Stephen Paddock set up the cameras to see if anyone was coming to take him into custody. He did not release further details. The sheriff also said authorities had completed their investigation at the gunman's property in Reno, finding five handguns, two shotguns and a plethora of ammunition. University Medical Center of Southern Nevada was one of many hospitals that were overflowing Tuesday. "Every bed was full," Coates said. "We had people in the hallways, people outside and more people coming in." He said the huge, horrifying wounds on his operating table told him this shooting was something different. "It was very clear that the first patient I took back and operated on that this was a high-powered weapon," Coates said. "This wasn't a normal street weapon. This was something that did a lot of damage when it entered the body cavity." The gunman, 64-year-old high-stakes gambler and retired accountant Stephen Paddock, killed himself as authorities stormed his hotel room at the Mandalay Bay hotel casino. He had 23 guns some with scopes in the room where he had been staying since Thursday. He knocked out two windows to create sniper's perches he used to rain rapid fire down on the crowd of 22,000 people some 500 yards away. He also had two "bump stocks" that can be used to modify weapons to fire continuously, as if fully automatic, according to two U.S. officials briefed by law enforcement who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is still unfolding. At Paddock's home, authorities found 19 more guns, explosives and thousands of rounds of ammunition. Also, several pounds of ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer that can be turned into explosives, were in his car, authorities said. The FBI discounted the possibility of international terrorism, even after the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. But beyond that, the motive remained a mystery, with Sheriff Joseph Lombardo saying: "I can't get into the mind of a psychopath at this point." While Paddock appeared to have no criminal history, his father was a bank robber who was on the FBI's most-wanted list in the 1960s. "I can't even make something up," his brother in Florida, Eric Paddock, said when asked what might have motivated his brother. "There's just nothing." President Donald Trump on Tuesday called the gunman "demented" and a "very, very sick individual." Asked about gun laws, the president said, "We'll be talking about gun laws as time goes on." His muzzle flashes visible in the dark, Paddock began shooting just after 10 p.m. and appeared to fire unhindered for more than 10 minutes, according to radio traffic, as police frantically tried to locate him. "We can't worry about the victims," an officer said over the radio at 10:15 p.m. "We need to stop the shooter before we have more victims. Anybody have eyes on him ... stop the shooter." The crowd, funneled tightly into a wide-open space, had little cover and no easy way to escape. Victims fell to the ground, while others fled in panic. Some hid behind concession stands or crawled under parked cars. Faces were etched with shock and confusion, and people wept and wailed. Some of the injured were hit by shrapnel. Others were trampled or were injured jumping fences. "It was chaos people just running for their lives. People trying to get down. Trying to get to their loved ones that had gotten hit," Shaun Topper said. Marie Langer, 16, of Las Vegas, got to the concert early so she could get to the very front, closest to the stage. That meant she and her friends were among the last to get out, and could hear shots ringing and people screaming the entire time she was trying to flee. She finally had to climb a fence with points on the top of metal bars designed to prevent people from getting over it. "We had no other option," she said. Tales of heroism and compassion emerged: One man grasped the hand of a dying stranger, unable to pull himself away despite the danger. Another borrowed a flannel shirt from a man he didn't know to create a tourniquet for a girl he didn't know. Couples held hands as they ran. The healthy carried the bleeding off the grounds. Strangers drove victims to hospitals in their own cars. Authorities put out a call for blood donations and set up a hotline to report missing people and speed the identification of the dead and wounded. They also opened a "family reunification center" for people to find loved ones. Before Sunday, the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history took place in June 2016, when a gunman who professed support for Muslim extremist groups opened fire at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, killing 49 people. Sally Ho, Regina Garcia Cano and Brian Skoloff in Las Vegas; Brian Melley and Andrew Dalton in Los Angeles; Sadie Gurman and Tami Abdollah in Washington; Kristin M. Hall in Nashville, Tennessee; and Jocelyn Gecker in San Francisco contributed to this report. According to a research conducted at the University of Jyvaskyla, estrogen acts as a regulator of muscle energy metabolism and muscle cell viability. Menopause leads to the cessation of ovarian estrogen production concurrent to the deterioration of muscle function. After menopause, the risk of metabolic diseases also increases. Although a healthy lifestyle does not increase the amount of estrogen in circulation, it reduces risks. The well-known symptoms of menopause include hot flashes, mood swings and other so-called women's troubles. The consequences of the menopausal withdrawal of estrogen production are, however, broader than commonly assumed. Menopause accelerates the aging changes of many tissues, of which perhaps the most known and well-studied is osteoporosis. The effects of estrogen on skeletal muscles are not yet well known. The study from the University of Jyvaskyla discovered that estrogen acts as an upstream regulator for the energy metabolism and viability of muscle cells. - It has already been well established that the male sex steroid, testosterone, is an important regulator of muscle size. Now we showed that also the female sex steroid, estradiol, has a substantial regulatory role in muscles, says Academy Research Fellow Eija Laakkonen from the Gerontology Research Center at the University of Jyvaskyla. - These findings help to understand why menopausal women's muscles get smaller and their muscle strength diminishes, Dr. Laakkonen explains. Skeletal muscle is important for whole-body metabolism. Therefore, these results are important when fighting against the elevated risk of metabolic diseases associated to aging. In total 24 pre- and postmenopausal women participated in this muscle research on middle-aged women. By applying a proteomics approach to investigate the protein content of the muscle and by taking into account the participants' age, menopausal status and the use of estrogen-containing hormonal therapy, the researchers were able to identify 1,353 proteins and quantify 762 of them. In total 137 of the proteins were associated for the first time with skeletal muscle aging. This collaborative study between the researchers of the University of Jyvaskyla and the University of Helsinki was recently published in Aging Cell. The research is part of the larger SAWEs twin study that is led by Docent Vuokko Kovanen from the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyvaskyla, and funded by the Academy of Finland and the Paivikki and Sakari Sohlberg Foundation. Absence of a prefrontal activation during sensory gating of simple tones detects the Alzheimer's disease (AD) before the occurrence of the first symptoms. Sanja Josef Golubic Ph.D., physicists at the Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, reveals the high potential, absolutely non-invasive biomarker of AD pathology in a new study published in the journal Human Brain Mapping. Josef Golubic found a discrete, individual biomarker of AD with "ideal" properties. Highlights of the new biomarker: Absolutely non-invasive Detects the illness before the occurrence of the first symptoms (preclinical) Discrete: localized/non-localized a prefrontal generator Does not require estimation of uniform cut-off levels and standardization processes Low sensitivity to individual heterogeneity and variability Can follow the evolution of the pathophysiological process of AD Individual Topographic Worldwide spread of Alzheimer's disease, a long-lasting morbid type of dementia, is one of the biggest global public health challenges facing this generation. A wealth of evidence emerged during over more than 110 years of disease research suggest that the pathological changes associated with AD start decades before the onset of clinical symptoms. This long progression of neurodegeneration that is irreversible by the stage of symptomatic disease, may account for failure to develop successful disease-modifying therapies. Currently, there is a pressing worldwide search for a marker of very early, possibly reversible, pathological changes related to AD in still cognitively intact individuals, before the occurrence of the first symptoms. Reisa Sperling, chairman of the National Institute on Aging/Alzheimer's Association Workgroup on Preclinical AD and director of the Neuroimaging Program at Harvard Medical School, reviewing the extensive search for the biomarker of preclinical AD, emphasises: An active line of research is the relationship of intrinsic neural networks and the "topographic" evolution of the pathophysiological process of AD. It is possible, just as in real estate, that "location, location, location" is key".* Sanja Josef Golubic found the location of the key - it was hidden in the topography of auditory sensory gating network. She uncovered a topological biomarker of preclinical and clinical AD pathology at the individual level that shows a large effect size (0.98) and high accuracy, sensitivity and specificity (100%) in identifying symptomatic AD patients within a research sample. The new biomarker does not require estimation of cut-off levels or standardization processes what is the main problem with so far proposed AD markers. It is absolutely non-invasive, not based on the use of group means and is not associated with statistically significant changes in a continuous variable. Its strength lies in the simplicity of using a binary value, i.e. activated or not-activated a neural generator. The low sensitivity to individual heterogeneity and variability due to its binary nature is probably the most important property of the proposed biomarker. Neuroscience eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today "Three years ago we discovered the novel, third fast sensory processing pathway-gating loop, which directly links primary sensory areas to medial prefrontal cortex within first 80ms after auditory stimulation**. We provided strong evidences of the modulatory role of the medial prefrontal generator on the dynamics of generators in primary auditory cortices. We have also noticed the high sensitivity of the gating generators dynamic on AD pathology. It was inspiration to focus our AD biomarker search in the direction of prefrontal sensory gating generator activation", says Sanja Josef Golubic, who together with Cheryl Aine, Selma Supek, Julia Stephen, John Adair and Janice Knoefel form the international research team. The team was formed by the University of Zagreb, New Mexico University, Mind Research Network and New Mexico VA Healthcare System. "In the present study, we demonstrate the use of the localization of neural sources underlying neuromagnetic fields measured outside a head to detect AD even before the onset of symptoms. The healthy controls activated a prefrontal generator in response to both the deviant and repeating tones of an oddball paradigm. To the contrary, the symptomatic AD group was lacking any medial prefrontal gating generator activation to either the deviant or repeating tones. However, we detected a sub-group of controls characterized by the absence of prefrontal gating generator activation for the repeating tone only and significantly lower scores on a mini mental status exam and delayed visual memory test - Rey-Osterreith Complex Figure Test. It is highly probable that these individuals were captured in a preclinical AD phase since they show both neuropsychological and neurophysiological impairments characteristic of an AD type of dementia, although they did not yet meet clinical criteria for the early phase of symptomatic AD", emphasizes Josef Golubic. The localization of a discrete prefrontal gating activation is a highly promising biomarker of Alzheimer's disease at the individual level with potential of following the evolution of the pathophysiological process of disease. The next steps in evolving the biomarker include the testing in large independent samples and assessment in longitudinal clinical studies. The large effect size, absolute non-invasiveness, and statistical independence, properties of an "ideal" biomarker, will certainly launch this AD biomarker promptly into clinical use. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded two five-year grants to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center worth more than $5 million to prospectively study the effects of a genetic variation in organ donors that appears to contribute to survival of kidneys after transplantation. The funding will establish the APOL1 Long-term Transplantation Outcomes Network (APOLLO) to evaluate donor and recipient apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) renal-risk variants in all U.S. kidney transplants from African-American kidney donors to determine their effect on transplant outcomes. In addition, the post-donation health and kidney function of African-American living kidney donors will be assessed. Kidneys transplanted from deceased African-American donors fail more rapidly compared to kidneys transplanted from deceased European- American donors. Reasons for this are unknown, but retrospective studies suggest that the presence of two APOL1 renal-risk variants in the African-American kidney donors may contribute to the disparity. Genetics & Genomics eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today These gene variants are common in populations with recent African ancestry, such as African-Americans, where they are strongly associated with non-diabetic end-stage kidney disease, but rare in other racial or ethnic groups. Up to 40 percent of end-stage kidney disease in African Americans is related to variation in this gene. "Compiling APOL1 data may provide physicians with a more accurate way to assess the likelihood for long-term renal function in transplanted kidneys," said nephrologist Barry I. Freedman, M.D., John H. Felts, III, Distinguished Professor of Internal Medicine, at Wake Forest Baptist and a principal investigator at the Wake Forest Baptist APOLLO coordinating center. "Hopefully, it also will improve our ability to match donor kidneys with potential recipients to improve the success rate of kidney transplants and patient survival." As the national coordinating center for the APOLLO consortium, Wake Forest Baptist will be closely aligned with the United Network of Organ Sharing, the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations and 13 APOLLO clinical trial centers. Co-principal investigators of the APOLLO coordinating center are David Reboussin, Ph.D., Robert Stratta, M.D., and Donald Bowden, Ph.D., of Wake Forest Baptist. Pioneering studies led by Freedman demonstrated that two copies of the APOL1 gene in African-American kidney donors were associated with more rapid failure of transplanted kidneys. In addition, the NIH funding supports an APOLLO clinical center led by Amber Reeves-Daniel, D.O., of Wake Forest Baptist, and Rasheed Gbadegesin, M.D., of Duke University Medical Center. This clinical trial site, with its 12 counterparts around the country, will assist in developing the protocol and recruiting participants for APOLLO. "Findings from the APOLLO study have the potential to alter clinical practice by increasing the numbers of kidneys available for transplantation and improving matching of kidneys with recipients to extend post-transplant kidney function," Freedman said. 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 The China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC) has signed an agreement with the Shenhua Group, Chinas biggest coal producer, to promote the development of advanced traveling wave reactor technology, the state nuclear giant said. At a ceremony on Tuesday, the two sides signed an investment agreement to promote fourth-generation traveling wave reactors (TWR), CNNC said in a notice posted on its website. The deal also involved the Zhejiang Energy Group and the Hebei Construction and Investment Group. The new organization will be a partnership with four Chinese energy companies and will have /A> starting capital of CNY1bn ($153.2 million). TWR, one of several new fourth-generation reactor designs, uses depleted uranium and is more fuel-efficient and cheaper to run than conventional nuclear reactors. Leading developers of TWR include the Bill Gates-backed Terrapower, which is working on large scale projects aimed at providing base-load electricity. CNNC said its chairman, Wang Shoujun, met with Gates in July to discuss cooperation. TerraPowers traveling wave design is a breeder reactor that produce more atomic fuel than they consume, reducing the need to add costly processed nuclear elements. In 2006, Intellectual Ventures launched a spin-off named TerraPower to model and commercialize a working design of such a reactor, which later came to be called a traveling-wave reactor. TerraPower has developed TWR designs for low- to medium- (300 MWe) as well as high-power (~1000 MWe) generation facilities. Bill Gates featured TerraPower in his 2010 TED talk. In 2010 a group from TerraPower applied for patent EP 2324480 A1 following WO2010019199A1 Heat pipe nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor cooling. The application was deemed withdrawn in 2014. In September, 2015 TerraPower and China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop a TWR. TerraPower plans to build a 600 MWe demonstration Plant, the TWR-P, by 20182022 followed by larger commercial plants of 1150 MWe in the late 2020s CNNC said the technology uses 30 percent to 40 percent of the isotopes in natural uranium, compared with just 0.7 percent in conventional models, and reactors could run for decades without requiring additional fuel. CNNC and its rival China General Nuclear are both developing small modular reactors that can be deployed in remote regions as well as mobile ship-mounted units that can be used to supply power to offshore drilling platforms or small islands. Shenhua, which is in the middle of a merger with state power giant Guodian, is seeking to diversify away from coal and coal-fired power, and it has already been in talks with CNNC and CGN to invest in nuclear projects. Researchers from the University of Bristol have discovered that super-powerful quantum computers, which scientists and engineers across the world are racing to build, need to be even more powerful than previously thought before they can beat todays classical computers. Research groups at leading universities and companies, including Google, Microsoft and IBM, are part of a worldwide race to realise the first quantum computer that crosses into the quantum computational singularity or quantum supremacy. This represents a point where quantum computers become faster than any non-quantum supercomputer. Quantum computers have vastly better speed scaling. So once quantum computers surpass classical computers then quantum computers will remain dominant. A team of scientists from Bristol have discovered that the boundary to this singularity is further away than previously thought. The results apply to a highly influential quantum algorithm known as boson sampling, which was devised as a very direct route to demonstrate quantum computings supremacy over classical machines. The boson sampling problem is designed to be solved by photons (particles of light) controlled in optical chips technology pioneered by Bristols Quantum Engineering and Technology Labs (QETLabs). Predicting the pattern of many photons emerging from a large optical chip is related to an extremely hard random matrix calculation. With the rapid progress in quantum technologies, it appeared as though a boson sampling experiment that crossed into the quantum computational singularity was within reach. However, the Bristol team were able to redesign an old classical algorithm to simulate boson sampling, with dramatic consequences. Dr Anthony Laing, who heads a group in QETLabs and led this research, said: Its like tuning up an old propeller aeroplane to go faster than an early jet aircraft. Were at a moment in history where it is still possible for classical algorithms to outperform the quantum algorithms that we expect to ultimately be supersonic. It was believed that 30 or even 20 photons would be enough to demonstrate quantum computational supremacy. Yet he was able to simulate boson sampling for 20 photons on his own laptop, and increased the simulation size to 30 photons by using departmental servers. Alex added: With access to todays most powerful supercomputer, we could simulate boson sampling with 50 photons. But demonstrating such a feat [finding or creating better classical algorithms] meant assembling a crack team of scientists, mathematicians, and programmers. Nature Physics Classical boson sampling algorithms with superior performance to near-term experiments It is predicted that quantum computers will dramatically outperform their conventional counterparts. However, large-scale universal quantum computers are yet to be built. Boson sampling is a rudimentary quantum algorithm tailored to the platform of linear optics, which has sparked interest as a rapid way to demonstrate such quantum supremacy. Photon statistics are governed by intractable matrix functions, which suggests that sampling from the distribution obtained by injecting photons into a linear optical network could be solved more quickly by a photonic experiment than by a classical computer. The apparently low resource requirements for large boson sampling experiments have raised expectations of a near-term demonstration of quantum supremacy by boson sampling. Here we present classical boson sampling algorithms and theoretical analyses of prospects for scaling boson sampling experiments, showing that near-term quantum supremacy via boson sampling is unlikely. Our classical algorithm, based on Metropolised independence sampling, allowed the boson sampling problem to be solved for 30 photons with standard computing hardware. Compared to current experiments, a demonstration of quantum supremacy over a successful implementation of these classical methods on a supercomputer would require the number of photons and experimental components to increase by orders of magnitude, while tackling exponentially scaling photon loss. Press release: The Nobel Prize in Physics 2017 3 October 2017 The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Physics 2017 with one half to Rainer Weiss LIGO/VIRGO Collaboration and the other half jointly to Barry C. Barish LIGO/VIRGO Collaboration and Kip S. Thorne LIGO/VIRGO Collaboration for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves Gravitational waves finally captured On 14 September 2015, the universes gravitational waves were observed for the very first time. The waves, which were predicted by Albert Einstein a hundred years ago, came from a collision between two black holes. It took 1.3 billion years for the waves to arrive at the LIGO detector in the USA. The signal was extremely weak when it reached Earth, but is already promising a revolution in astrophysics. Gravitational waves are an entirely new way of observing the most violent events in space and testing the limits of our knowledge. LIGO, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, is a collaborative project with over one thousand researchers from more than twenty countries. Together, they have realised a vision that is almost fifty years old. The 2017 Nobel Laureates have, with their enthusiasm and determination, each been invaluable to the success of LIGO. Pioneers Rainer Weiss and Kip S. Thorne, together with Barry C. Barish, the scientist and leader who brought the project to completion, ensured that four decades of effort led to gravitational waves finally being observed. In the mid-1970s, Rainer Weiss had already analysed possible sources of background noise that would disturb measurements, and had also designed a detector, a laser-based interferometer, which would overcome this noise. Early on, both Kip Thorne and Rainer Weiss were firmly convinced that gravitational waves could be detected and bring about a revolution in our knowledge of the universe. Gravitational waves spread at the speed of light, filling the universe, as Albert Einstein described in his general theory of relativity. They are always created when a mass accelerates, like when an ice-skater pirouettes or a pair of black holes rotate around each other. Einstein was convinced it would never be possible to measure them. The LIGO projects achievement was using a pair of gigantic laser interferometers to measure a change thousands of times smaller than an atomic nucleus, as the gravitational wave passed the Earth. So far all sorts of electromagnetic radiation and particles, such as cosmic rays or neutrinos, have been used to explore the universe. However, gravitational waves are direct testimony to disruptions in spacetime itself. This is something completely new and different, opening up unseen worlds. A wealth of discoveries awaits those who succeed in capturing the waves and interpreting their message. Read more about this years prize Popular Science Background Pdf 1.7 MB Scientific Background Pdf 2.2 MB Image Gravitational waves (pdf 162 kB) Image Two black holes (pdf 508 kB) Image LIGO (pdf 1.7 MB) Image LIGO in the USA (pdf 1.6 MB) All illustrations: Copyright Johan Jarnestad/The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Rainer Weiss, born 1932 in Berlin, Germany. Ph.D. 1962 from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA. Professor of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA. http://web.mit.edu/physics/people/faculty/weiss_rainer.html B Barry C. Barish, born 1936 in Omaha, NE, USA. Ph.D. 1962 from University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Linde Professor of Physics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA https://labcit.ligo.caltech.edu/~BCBAct/ K Kip S. Thorne, born 1940 in Logan, UT, USA. Ph.D. 1965 from Princeton University, NJ, USA. Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA https://www.its.caltech.edu/~kip/index.html/ LIGO/VIRGO COLLABORATION www.ligo.org Prize amount: 9 million Swedish krona. Further information: www.kva.se and http://nobelprize.org Press contact: Jessica Balksjo Nannini, Press Officer, Phone +46 8 673 95 44, +46 70 673 96 50, [email protected] Experts: Olga Botner, member of the Nobel Committee for Physics, Phone +46 73-390 86 50, [email protected], Ulf Danielsson, member of the Nobel Committee for Physics, Phone +46 70-314 10 86, [email protected] The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, founded in 1739, is an independent organisation whose overall objective is to promote the sciences and strengthen their influence in society. The Academy takes special responsibility for the natural sciences and mathematics, but endeavours to promote the exchange of ideas between various disciplines. Nobel Prize is a registered trademark of the Nobel Foundation. To cite this section MLA style: Press release: The Nobel Prize in Physics 2017. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2022. Tue. 15 Nov 2022. You are clearly a super-user of NUVO.net. Thats a good thing. It means you depend on independent and local news sources to keep you informed. You are a smart person. Coincidentally, independent and local news sources depend on you too. Youve read 25 articles this month and now, wed like you to be join our mission and become a NUVO Supporter. For as little as $4 a month, you can keep us alive and fighting -- and can have unlimited access to the independent news that cant be found anywhere else. Authorities have not officially released details on the weapons a gunman used to kill 58 people and wound about 500 more late on Sunday in Las Vegas. But analysis of video posted on social media shows that the gunman, identified by the police as Stephen Paddock, 64, had rifles with rapid-fire capabilities. An arsenal of firearms was recovered from Mr. Paddocks hotel room, said Sheriff Joseph Lombardo of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. At least one rifle in Mr. Paddocks suite had a bump stock, a device used to retrofit a semiautomatic firearm to make it function like a fully automatic weapon, according to a law enforcement official who requested anonymity to divulge details of the investigation. This video shows 15 seconds of the attack, with constant gunshots ringing out. Isolated, the pattern of gunshots looks like this. Las Vegas About 90 shots in 10 seconds Compare that with audio extracted from a video of the June 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting, in which 49 people were killed and 53 were wounded. The gunman, Omar Mateen, used at least two guns, including a semiautomatic AR-15-style assault rifle. Orlando nightclub 24 shots in 9 seconds In contrast, a fully automatic weapon, like this pre-1986 Colt AR-15A2, sounds different. There are no variations in the firing rate like there was in the Las Vegas shooting. Fully automatic weapon 98 shots in 7 seconds How did he fire so quickly? The Las Vegas gunman modified at least one of his semiautomatic rifles to fire faster using a bump stock. Slide Fire, a main manufacturer of bump-fire stocks, shows how the product works in the promotional video below. Promotional video by Slide Fire The device replaces a rifles standard stock, which is the part held against the shoulder. It frees the weapon to slide back and forth rapidly because of recoil, with the stock bouncing, or bumping, between the shooters shoulder and trigger finger. The shooter holds his or her trigger finger in place, while maintaining forward pressure on the barrel and backward pressure on the pistol grip while firing. This modification can be done legally and allows the user to fire at rates similar to those of automatic weapons. A potentially harmful algae bloom covered more than 700 square miles in the western basin of Lake Erie last week, turning the lake bright green and alarming residents and local officials. Sept. 26 LAKE ERIE TOLEDO 5 miles Sept. 26 LAKE ERIE TOLEDO 5 miles Sept. 26 LAKE ERIE TOLEDO 10 miles Sept. 26 LAKE ERIE TOLEDO 5 miles Source: Landsat 8 Scientists say that algae blooms have been a growing problem for Lake Erie since the 2000s, mostly because of the extensive use of fertilizer on the regions farmland. The algae blooms contain cyanobacteria, which, under certain conditions, can produce toxins that contaminate drinking water and cause harm to the local ecosystem. During last weeks bloom, the amount of toxins in the algae remained low at the intake points where towns draw water from the lake, according to officials. Lake Eries algae blooms are driven by a landscape dominated by agriculture. LAKE ERIE Toledo Farmland 20 miles LAKE ERIE Toledo Farmland 10 miles LAKE ERIE Toledo Farmland 10 miles Rain causes nutrients from fertilizers on farmland to run off into rivers. River Raisin Maumee River River Raisin Maumee River Sandusky River River Raisin Maumee River Sandusky River The nutrients travel along rivers, eventually reaching Lake Erie. In the Maumee River, the largest tributary to any of the Great Lakes, green algae was visible last week in an aerial photograph. According to experts, excess nutrients that are transported by the Maumee River can be a good indicator of how severe an algae bloom in the lake will be. Maumee River Maumee River Maumee River Source: Aerial Associates Photography, Inc., Zachary Haslick Millions of people get drinking water from Lake Erie. Previous blooms have been toxic. While not all algae blooms are toxic, they can produce a type of toxin called microcystin that can cause serious liver damage under certain conditions. Dangerous levels of the toxin caused Toledo, Ohio, to shut down the drinking water supply of a half-million residents for three days in 2014. In total, almost 3 million people get drinking water from the central basin of Lake Erie. Officials have been testing the intake pipes in the lake where towns draw water and report that the current toxin levels are low. CANADA MICHIGAN Water intake point LAKE ERIE Algae OHIO CANADA MICHIGAN Water intake point LAKE ERIE Algae OHIO Source: NASA MODIS Note: Only intake points for towns and cities in Ohio are shown. The blooms are hurting the regions economy. Lake Erie attracts millions of visitors for beaches and recreation like fishing, and many businesses stand to lose money during large algae blooms. David Spangler, vice president of the Lake Erie Charter Boat Association, describes the algae as a musty-smelling, lime-green skin on the lakes surface thats so thick you could write your name in it. An awful lot of money may go someplace else other than Ohio if we continue having these issues in the lake, Mr. Spangler said. He noted that in 2015, an algae bloom kept boats out of the lake for six to seven weeks. The algae blooms are getting larger. Since the 2000s, algae blooms in Lake Erie have become much more extensive. Area of maximum summertime blooms 1,500 square miles 1,300 square miles 1,000 500 0 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 Area of maximum summertime blooms 1,500 square miles 1,300 square miles 1,000 500 0 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 Source: Carnegie Institute for Science and Stanford University According to one study by the Carnegie Institute for Science and Stanford University , most of the increase in the size of the blooms can be attributed to a rise in the amount of dissolved phosphorus flowing into the lake. Cumulative dissolved phosphorous in Lake Erie 5k metric tons 4 3 2 1 0 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 Cumulative dissolved phosphorous in Lake Erie 5k metric tons 4 3 2 1 0 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 Source: Carnegie Institute for Science and Stanford University In the 1980s, researchers started tracking algae blooms in Lake Erie. They were mostly small, but changes in farming practices caused them to spike. The blooms are expected to grow more harmful as global warming changes rainfall patterns. According to local experts, storms have become more intense in the region, carrying more nutrients from the farmland into the lake. Another study from the Carnegie Institution for Science shows that extensive algae blooms will continue to grow throughout the continental United States and around the globe, especially in Southeast Asia. The mayor of Toledo, Paula Hicks-Hudson, wrote a letter to President Trump on Sept. 26, calling on the federal government to declare Lake Erie impaired, which would allow for the lakes nutrient loads to be regulated under the Clean Water Act. Ever since Justice Anthony M. Kennedy left the door open to a workable standard to limit partisan gerrymandering, political scientists have sought to construct a measure to satisfy him. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court will hear a case that will test whether theyve pulled it off. At the center of the case is the efficiency gap, a relatively new measure of partisan gerrymandering. A federal court in Wisconsin ruled in November that the states Republican-controlled legislature had discriminated against Democratic voters, and it partly relied on the efficiency gap to find that the Wisconsin State Assembly map was an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander. Whether its persuasive to Justice Kennedy expected to be the key swing vote in the case is another matter. The efficiency gap is not a perfect measure. But it would probably address many of gerrymanderings problems, with few downsides. Heres what the efficiency gap is, what it does well, what it doesnt do so well and what it might ultimately mean for American democracy. What Is It? In general, the goal of a partisan gerrymander is to force the other side to waste votes, and thats exactly what the efficiency gap measures. A wasted vote is one that doesnt contribute to winning any additional districts. All of the votes beyond what's necessary to win a district are "wasted" in victory. All votes are wasted in defeat, since they didnt result in any seat at all. There are two types of wasted votes: 1 All the votes cast for the losing candidate 2 All the extra votes for the winning candidate Partisan gerrymandering follows this logic by employing so-called packing and cracking, two tactics to force the other side to waste votes. With packing, one partys votes are concentrated into a district, resulting in wasted votes in lopsided victories. With cracking, one partys votes are split among several districts that lean safely to the other side. The efficiency gap measurement aims to summarize the effect of gerrymandering by identifying all of the wasted votes in victory and defeat for both parties. It then adds them up, finds the difference between the two sides, and divides that by the total number of votes in a state. This yields a single percentage figure: the efficiency gap. The creators of the measurement, Eric McGhee, research fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California, and Nicholas Stephanopoulos, professor at the University of Chicago Law School, propose that a gap of 7 percent or higher should be enough to find that a state may have committed an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander. This process of adding up the wasted votes in each district is a little cumbersome. But this formula can be simplified to a theoretical relationship between vote share and the number of seats that a party should win. Over all, its a simple measure that elegantly follows the logic of partisan gerrymandering. And it satisfies many of Justice Kennedys requirements for a gerrymandering test. It does not, for instance, require an analysis of hypothetical elections, and its straightforward enough to understand. What Works Well Does it work? Well, the results do look about right. The congressional and state legislative maps that have been considered most notorious are found to be in violation using this standard. Exactly which states violate the efficiency gap depends a bit on the details. Wisconsins state legislative districts are in question in the case, but the basic issues are the same for congressional maps, and well focus on those here. There are two potential standards for whether a states congressional map is in violation: the 7 percent threshold suggested earlier, or if the plan costs a party two seats in a state. Small states are likelier to fail the percentage threshold test, while the two-seat threshold is more likely to trip up big states. There are also judgment calls needed on how to handle uncontested elections here, we impute the results and turnout using a model based on recent congressional and presidential election results. But the conclusion is basically the same no matter the approach. In looking at the 2016 congressional elections, there are five states in violation by both the seat and percentage measures: Pennsylvania, Texas, North Carolina, New York and Michigan. With the exception of New York, no one would dispute that these lines were ruthlessly drawn to favor the Republicans. In addition, theres a longer list of medium-size states that violate the percentage measure but dont quite hit a two-seat threshold. Ohio, Georgia, Maryland, South Carolina, Virginia and Alabama all have efficiency gaps over 10 percentage points in favor of the party that controlled redistricting, while Indiana has a 9 percent efficiency gap. All of these congressional maps could be vulnerable to a legal challenge under the proposed standard. These results would largely pass the gut-check test for most fair-minded observers. But theyre not quite perfect either, and they hint at some of the limitations of the test. Illinois, where Democrats plainly used the redistricting process to their advantage, is considered well balanced by this measure. It actually has a Republican-leaning efficiency gap. And New York, drawn by a court-appointed magistrate, is considered a Republican gerrymander with a 10 percent efficiency gap in favor of the Republicans. But in truth, few would argue that New Yorks map is balanced against the Democrats at all, let alone by so much. So whats going on? Political geography. What Doesnt Work Well Gerrymandering isnt the only reason one party might waste many more votes than the other. Parties can naturally pack or crack themselves, simply because of how their voters are distributed geographically. The efficiency gap doesnt distinguish between votes wasted by gerrymandering or by natural causes. Thats probably the biggest practical limitation of the measure. Its not a small issue. Democrats routinely win major cities with more than 80 percent of the vote. Nationally, virtually all of the seats with the most wasted votes in victory are Democratic-held urban districts. For the most part, theyre not gerrymandered at all. Number of wasted votes in victory by congressional district 2016 presidential election The effect of all of these wasted Democratic votes in urban areas is considerable. Its enough, for instance, to make a fair map in New York look like a partisan gerrymander. There, Hillary Clinton won more than 75 percent of the major party vote in 10 of the states 27 districts. But no gerrymandering was required as Mrs. Clinton won 81 percent of the major party vote in densely populated New York City. Similarly, the efficiency gap measure makes Illinoiss Democratic gerrymander look like a balanced map. Mrs. Clinton won 78 percent of the major party vote in Cook County, which includes 40 percent of Illinoiss population. The Democrats made a herculean effort to undo this disadvantage. They unpacked Chicago and Cook County as best they could, spoking the citys districts out to the suburbs, exurbs and even the countryside. But even this was insufficient to give the Democrats a real advantage. Republicans and Donald J. Trump still won seven of Illinoiss 18 congressional districts, even in a state Mrs. Clinton carried easily. Geography is probably the biggest reason Republicans are skeptical of the efficiency gap. Various amicus briefs contend that the measure is biased against Republicans. They argue that a remedy could even require maps that violate nonpartisan criteria, like those districts that spoke out of Chicago. Theres some merit to the Republican argument. If Democrats are at a geographic disadvantage compared with the Republicans, Democrats would generally have more flexibility to draw maps that deviate from nonpartisan standards, like compactness or following jurisdictional lines, without generating a 7 percent efficiency gap violation as they have in Illinois. Republicans, meanwhile, might draw relatively fair maps that might seem to disadvantage Democrats. Indiana is a good example. One could argue that the courts shouldnt view Democratic gerrymanders as especially troubling if they dont create the same burden on Republican voters to translate their votes to seats, but Republicans are unlikely to see it that way. Making matters worse for the Republicans: The efficiency gap isnt great at measuring the one big Democratic geography advantage: Hispanic districts. Here, the Democrats advantage is that they can translate votes to seats at an efficient rate, thanks to the extremely low turnout-to-population ratio of Hispanic areas, which, for good measure, are not always overwhelmingly Democratic. The efficiency gap, if anything, gets this backward. Its measuring wasted votes, after all, and the low turnout of these districts means that the Republicans waste very few in Hispanic districts. Right now, Illinois and New York are probably the only two states where the efficiency gap is misled by geography. But it could be a much bigger issue in the future. An easy way to tell is to look at the 2016 presidential race rather than U.S. House races. Based on presidential results, efficiency gap violations would spread to 18 of the 26 states with more than five congressional districts. The nonpartisan maps in Arizona and Minnesota, the bipartisan map in New Jersey, and, incredibly, the Democratic-drawn map in Illinois would all violate the 7 percent threshold in favor of the Republicans. Its worth noting that there isnt much danger that fair maps will be found to be unconstitutional gerrymanders, even if they fail the efficiency gap. Under the test proposed by the plaintiffs, the courts would have to find motive as well. Similarly, the state would have the opportunity to show that the imbalance was because of political geography. But the presidential election results nonetheless show how significant the Democratic geography disadvantage has become. It can easily create the appearance of a partisan gerrymander. It is directionally consistent with the notion that the Democratic geography disadvantage would somewhat bias the efficiency gap measure against the Republicans. And it hints at a core challenge for the plaintiffs: The efficiency gap isnt as easy as it looks. The Role of the Courts The courts would have to assess whether geography explains the efficiency gap in just about every case. In the Wisconsin case, the federal court concluded that political geography did not explain the entirety of the Republican edge because there were alternative plans with a smaller Republican advantage. If this ultimately becomes a standard way to rebut the geography argument, as it has in racial gerrymandering cases, gerrymandering opponents will probably be well off. It is usually possible to draw a relatively fair map, even in states where geography really does significantly burden one party. But things get more complicated if the courts dont simply accept the presence of an alternative, fair plan as proof that geography isnt responsible. After all, the fact that a more balanced map was possible doesnt prove that a less balanced map was a result of partisan gerrymandering, as the New York and Minnesota maps plainly show. The difference between the presidential election results and congressional election results hints at another problem: The efficiency gap is very noisy. It can shift back and forth from cycle to cycle. That's mainly because the efficiency gap emphasizes the difference between winning and losing a district. If you win by one vote, all of your opponents votes are wasted, and just one of yours; lose by one vote and the opposite is true. As a result, the courts would probably need to look across many elections to assess whether a map is in violation. They would also probably check to see whether the result would be very different if the election had gone a little differently. The courts will undoubtedly consider other potential measures of partisan symmetry or gerrymandering, including whether the map violates nonpartisan criteria like compactness or violating jurisdictional lines. None of this represents an insurmountable challenge to the efficiency gap. But it means that the efficiency gap isnt really what it seems. It is not a test of partisan gerrymandering. It is a test of whether a congressional map burdens the voters of a political party to an extent that is likely to be persistent for a decade. Whether voters were burdened because of an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander, geography or bad luck is another matter. Its the sort of matter that the courts have been resolving for decades in racial gerrymandering cases, but that doesnt mean its easy or clear. What Might Be Coming in 2020 The efficiency gap has real limitations. But from a practical standpoint, this is not necessarily a deal breaker. The efficiency gap is not the entirety of the plaintiffs proposed legal test. The standard of motive would probably prevent fair, nonpartisan maps from being struck down. The opportunity to show that geography, not gerrymandering, was responsible for the bias would most likely protect those states as well. And the courts could consider other measures, as the federal courts did in the Wisconsin case. There is a better chance that the efficiency gap will fail to capture some maps that deviate considerably from nonpartisan standards like preserving communities of interest. These maps are likelier to be Democratic-led gerrymanders, given the partys distinct geographic disadvantage. But anyone afraid of letting, say, the Democratic gerrymander in Illinois get by should be concerned about what might be coming in 2020. In 1986, Justice Sandra Day OConnor wrote that gerrymandering was a self-limiting enterprise. A majority party must weaken some of its safe seats to win additional seats; therefore, gerrymanders can wind up increasing the number of vulnerable seats. This was probably right in 1986. The countrys political geography wasnt so reliably and deeply polarized, and that limited what a gerrymander could accomplish. But this wasnt so true by 2010, and it is even less true today. There are now strong incentives for parties to pursue gerrymanders that go much further than they did in 2010. In 2020, many states could all but end competitive congressional districts in their state. Take Pennsylvania. Today, Democrats hold only five of the states 18 congressional districts. Its hard for Democrats to imagine that it could be worse. But it could be. After all, there are still five competitive, Republican-held districts in southeastern Pennsylvania outside Philadelphia. Why are there competitive districts in southeast Pennsylvania? At the time Pennsylvania Republicans redrew the map, Justice OConnors point about self-limiting gerrymandering was quite relevant. Democrats had a record of competing across rural and post-industrial Pennsylvania, even though President Obama didnt fare especially well on traditionally Democratic turf. Republicans had little incentive to dilute the Philadelphia suburbs further, and they would have been endangering their central Pennsylvania seats anyway. That logic may not hold today. In fact, its not a given that there have to be competitive districts in the Philadelphia suburbs anymore. Mrs. Clinton won 41 percent of the major party vote in the 14 districts outside of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, including the fifth Democratic district in northeast Pennsylvania. Republicans could probably figure out a way to make several or even all of the competitive districts in southeastern Pennsylvania safely Republican. There would be a practical challenge in spoking the Philadelphia suburbs to such an extreme extent, but it could probably be done, and even if it couldnt they could still greatly improve on the map they have now. IT'S BACK! Amazon Great Indian Festival (4th - 8th Oct) - Upto 80% Off & Win 1 Year's Free Shopping* Feature oi-Madhuri GOOD NEWS! 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OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, October 3, 2017, 16:41 [IST] Pay matrix at cell one The Finance Ministry will be improvising this matrix. The Pay Matrix starts at Rs1,18,500 at Cell one and ends at Rs2,14,100 at Cell 21, the ministry said, adding that the said level has been modified. This Index of Rationalisation' has been applied by the Commission on the minimum entry pay corresponding to the successive Grades Pay in the pre-Revised pay structure, the report said. Pay in the Level-13 is to be fixed by multiplying by a factor of 2.57 or 2.67 The Pay Commission, while formulating the various Levels contained in the Pay Matrix, corresponding to the pre-Revised pay structure, used "Index Of Rationalization" (IOR) to arrive at the starting Cell of each Level (the 1st Cell) of the Pay Matrix. This IOR has been applied by the Commission on the minimum entry pay corresponding to the successive Grades Pay in the pre-Revised pay structure. In Level-13 of the Pay Matrix, as formulated by the pay panel and as accepted by the Government in terms of the CCS(RP) Rules, 2016 promulgated vide notification dt. 25.7.2016, the IOR was 2.57. The IOR in respect of both Levels 12 and Level 13-A, i.e., Levels immediately lower and immediately higher than Level-13, is 2.67. Therefore, the modified Level-13 in terms of the Pay Matrix contained in the CCS(Revised Pay) (Amendment) Rules, 2017 has also been formulated based on the IOR of 2.67. While the concept of the IOR, as applied by the pay panel, is exclusively in regard to formulation of the Levels in Pay Matrix, the formula for fixation of pay in the Pay Matrix based on the basic pay drawn in the pre-revised pay structure for the purpose of migration to the Pay Matrix, as recommended by the commission, is based on the fitment factor of 2.57. The Commission recommends "this fitment factor of 2.57 is being proposed to be applied uniformly for all employees." Accordingly, Rule 7 (1)(A)(i) of the CCS(RP) Rules, 2016, relating to fixation of pay in the revised pay structure, clearly provides that "in case of all employees the pay in the applicable level in the Pay Matrix shall be the pay obtained by multiplying the existing pay by a factor of 2.57........." Thus, the fitment factor for the purpose of fixation of pay in all the Levels of Pay Matrix in the revised pay structure is altogether different from the IOR. The fitment factor of 2.57 is uniformly applicable for all employees for the purpose of fixation of pay in all the Levels of Pay Matrix. This has no relation with the "IOR". The formula for fixation of pay based on the fitment factor of 2.57, as contained in Rule 7(1)(A)(i) of the CCS(RP) Rules,2016, has not been modified by the CCS (Revised Pay) (Amendment) Rules,2017. Accordingly, pay in the Level-13 of the Pay Matrix, as provided for in the CCS(Revised Pay) (Amendment) Rules, 2017, shall continue to be fixed based on the fitment factor of 2.57 as already provided for in Rule 7(1) (A) (1) of CCS(RP) Rules, 2016. In case pay has been fixed in the modified Level-13 by way of fitment factor of 2.67, the same is contrary to the Rules and is liable to be rectified and excess amount recovered forthwith. Pay re-fixed in the modified Level-13 working out lower than the pay fixed in the earlier Level-13: As mentioned above, earlier Level 13 in operation before the coming into force of CCS(Revised Pay) (Amendment) Rules, 2017 promulgated vide notification dt. 15.6.2017, has become non-existent ab-initio and the modified Level 13 as contained in CCS(Revised Pay) (Amendment) Rules, 2017 is the applicable Level 13 from 1.1.2016. Therefore, the earlier Level 13 is extinct and, hence, no employee can retain the some consequent upon promulgation of CCS(Revised Pay)(Amendment) Rules, 2017. As such, pay in respect of those, who are entitled to Level 13 either from 1.1.2016 or from any date later than 1.1.2016, has to be re-fixed in the modified Level 13 and the pay as earlier fixed in the earlier Level 13 gets automatically rescinded. Therefore, pay, as fixed in the modified Level 13 in terms of Rule 7 of the CCS(RP)Rules, 2016 in case of those who were drawing pay in the pre-revised pay structure in PB-4 plus Grade Pay of Rs.8700 as on 31.12.2015 or in terms of Rule 13 thereof in case of those promoted to Level 13 on or after 1.1.2016, shall now be the pay for all purposes. However, a few instances have been brought to the notice of this Ministry, where pay fixed in the modified Level-13 contained in CCS (RP) (Amendment) Rules,2017 works out less than the pay fixed in the earlier Level-13 before promulgation of this amendment. The pay fixed strictly in terms of the applicable provisions of CCS(RP) Rules, 2016 in the earlier Level-13 before promulgation of CCS(Revised Pay) (Amendment) Rules, 2017, was the pay before the date of promulgation of the said Amendment Rules on 15.6.2017. As pay is now required to be re-fixed in the Level-13 contained in the CCS(Revised Pay) (Amendment) Rules, 2017, any overpayment, if taking place, consequent upon such re-fixation is not attributable to the concerned employee. Re-exercise of option for coming over to the Revised Pay structure in case of Level 13 A reference has been received whether in view of the modification in the Level 13 in terms of the CCS(Revised Pay) (Amendment) Rules, 2017 promulgated on 15.6.2017 with effect from 1.1.2016, the date of effect of the revised pay structure contained in CCS(RP) Rules, 2016, the employees who are entitled to the Level 13 on 1.1.2016 may be given fresh option to come over to the revised pay structure in case of modified Level 13. The matter has been considered and it has been decided that since the modification of the Level 13 as per CCS(Revised Pay) (Amendment) Rules, 2017 is a material change, the employees, who were entitled to Level 13 as on 1.1.2016 and who had already opted for the earlier Level-13 as per Rules 5 and 6 of the CCS(RP) Rules, 2016, shall be given an opportunity for re-exercise of their option there under. Such an option may be exercised within three months from the date of issue of these orders. In their application to employees belonging to the Indian Audit and Accounts Department, these orders issue after consultation with the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. Ahead of Amit Shah's visit to Kerala 3 BJP workers attacked India oi-PTI Kasargod (Ker), October 3: Ahead of the launch of 'Jan Raksha Yatra' today by the BJP, three party workers were attacked by unidentified men allegedly belonging to the CPI(M) in Neeleswaram town in Kasargod district. The attack happened around 9:30 pm when the BJP workers were decorating a part of the National Highway-66 for the 15- day march, which will be launched by BJP chief Amit Shah. The three injured BJP workers were being treated at a private hospital in Neeleswaram, the police said. No case has been registered in connection with the incident so far. BJP Kasargod district secretary Sreekanth said nearly 20 CPI(M) workers attacked BJP activists without provocation, while they were decorating a road side at Neeleswaram market. Flex boards, tube-lights and a two-wheeler was also damaged, he said. CPI(M) cadres, who could not tolerate the growing political influence of the BJP in the state were indulging in such attacks, he alleged. Sreekanth further said around 15,000 BJP cadres were likely to participate from the district in stages during the march. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, October 3, 2017, 9:14 [IST] Only those from political families can eye a CMs post in Congress: Amit Shah Uniform Civil Code in Himachal if BJP comes to power: Amit Shah Amit Shah announces padyatra, blames CPI(M) for Kerala violence India oi-PTI BJP President Amit Shah on Tuesday attacked the Left saying that political killings are common in both Kerala and Tripura, both Left front rules states. Addressing a rally in the CPI(M) bastion, Shah announced a two-week 'padyatra', against the Communist Party of India (Marxist) targeting his party's workers, in all state capitals from Wednesday. Shah said Vijayan was responsible for the violence in the state. BJP workers were victims of "political murders", he added. Shah is here to launch a fortnight-long march, called Jan Raksha Yatra, by the party in the state to protest alleged political violence by the Left party. He said his party would use democratic means to fight Left rule in the state. "CPI(M) leader and Kerala chief minister Vijayan is directly responsible for all political murders in Kerala," he alleged. As many as 120 BJP workers, 84 in Kannur alone, have been killed in the state since 2001. Fourteen people were killed in Kannur since the CPI(M) came to power last year, the BJP had said yesterday. Earlier today, Shah offered prayers at the famous Rajarajeswara Temple in Taliparamba near Kannur. The senior BJP leader arrived at Mangalore airport early this morning and reached the temple by road from Bakel, an official in the party's state media department said. He was accompanied by state BJP leaders. Shah was received by temple authorities. The BJP President, who spent 30 minutes at the temple, offered a golden pot to the deity. The Rajarajeswara Temple at Taliparamba is a famous Shiva temple in North Malabar. After offering prayers, Shah proceeded to Payyannur to launch the 15-day march in the state against the alleged 'red terrorism' unleashed by the Left party against BJP and Sangh parivar workers. The Jan Raksha Yatra (people's protection march) from Payyannur will travel through the state before culminating in Thiruvananthapuram on 17 October. The CPI(M) has, in turn, accused the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of resorting to violence and denied the involvement of its government and leadership in political killings. Several Union ministers will also participate in the march under the theme of "All have to live!! Against Jihadi-Red Terror." PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, October 3, 2017, 16:36 [IST] Armed with a confession and approver, NIA set to crack Kashmir terror funding case India oi-Vicky By Vicky The investigations into the Kashmir terror funding case is progressing swiftly. While evidence galore has been gathered, the National Investigation Agency has also managed to get an approver in the case. Armed with an approver and a confessional statement, the NIA will now take on the top Hurriyat leaders who are allegedly the masterminds of this entire case. There have been probes in the past as well, but these leaders have never taken it seriously. This time around the documents seized and the huge number of arrests carried out suggests that the NIA is going for the big guns next. NIA sources suggest that next in line could be Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umer Farooq. The details against the two Hurriyat hawks is very strong in nature. Moreover these two separatists have been desperately looking for a good lawyer to defend them in court. The arrests of their aides and also Shabir Shah has sent the two into panic mode. They have the most to hide says the NIA official. The NIA says that it is confident that this case would be taken to the logical end. The cases of the past have not been as strong. In fact the NIA had to drop a 2016 case on the same issue. The probe this time is different for a variety of reasons. First and foremost the NIA has been given a free hand to probe the cases and there is no political compulsion on the agency on who to arrest and who not to. The probe was carried out in multiple directions. Moreover if one looks at the manner in which Kashmir is being handled, it is text book Ajit Doval doctrine in which it says that the policy of non-appeasement must be shunned. The NIA began with the foreign funding which came in from Pakistan, Dubai, London and Saudi Arabia. The agency then studied thousands of documents relating to the cross border trade. It was suspected that this route through the Line of Control was used to pump in the funds. While these dimensions were already know, the NIA decided that it would actually act upon it and hence carried out the arrests. It was the arrests that became the turning point for the NIA. The questioning of these separatists and their associates only added weight to the evidence that the NIA had already sourced. The arrests and this hectic probe by the NIA had its ripple effects in Kashmir as well. The unrest is dying a slow death and the funds are gradually drying up. Earlier separatists used to dole out money at will to fund stone pelters and terrorists. However this time they are careful, watchful as they are fully aware that a full-fledged probe with all its seriousness and minus the appeasement is on. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, October 3, 2017, 7:01 [IST] Ban on PFI: Home Ministry officials begin deliberations India oi-Vicky By Vicky Union Home Ministry officials held a series of meetings to study whether the Popular Front of India could be banned or not. The Home Ministry is examining a report submitted by the National Investigation against the radical Islamic group. The NIA speaks about the killing of RSS worker Rudresh in Bengaluru. Further it details the professor's hand chopping case at Idukki. While giving details about a Kannur training camp from where country made bombs and swords were seized, the NIA report to the Home Ministry also speaks about an Islamic State module case. The NIA says that the approach of the PFI is radical in nature. It speaks about recruiting only committed Muslims into its fold. It also states that the cadres train with clips of the Babri Masjid demolition and this is clearly a sign that it is trying to radicalise its cadres. It is trying to run a parallel administration the NIA states. It speaks about the Darul Khada an outfit comprising Muslim scholars, social workers and advocates. This was set up in 2009, by SDPI national chief E Aboobacker. The NIA says that they run a parallel judiciary which settles a host of issues. The NIA dossier also states that in July 2009, a Kerala level declaration was passed by the Darul Khada in Mallappuram in which it had called upon the Muslim community not to attend civil courts, but get all issues sorted out by it. The NIA also cited the most recent case it is probing in connection with Love Jihad. It speaks about the Sathyasarani Islamic Dawah an affiliate of the PFI. It says that this organisation is running an Islamic conversion centre and also details the rigorous religious training it is imparting. OneIndia News Bimal Gurung could settle for bipartite talks with the Union Government India oi-Amitava By Amitava Darjeeling, October 3, 2017: With fast changing political equations in the Hills, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha President Bimal Gurung stated that he is ready to hold bipartite talks with the Union Government if Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is not ready to sit across the table with him. During the recent Gorkhaland agitation the GJM seeking the Union Government's intervention had met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. Minister Singh had categorically stated that as Home is a State subject the West Bengal Government has to convene tripartite talks. Later in a political maneuver the State Government had nominated a board to run the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) with rebel GJM leader Binay Tamang as the Chairman. This resulted in a vertical crack in the GJM. The state Government then started propping Tamang. CM Mamata Banerjee held two round of talks with the rebel leader on the Darjeeling crisis. Meanwhile after an appeal made by Union Home Minister Singh on September 26 to end the indefinite bandh assuring Gurung and his men of talks with the Union Government on "all related issues," Gurung declared the lifting of the bandh that had touched the 104 day mark. However in the appeal the Union Home Minister had not clarified the nature (whether bipartite or tripartite) of the Delhi talks neither had he assured that talks would be held on the Gorkhaland issue, preferring "all related issues" instead. Gurung, when confronted with the question as to what will be the fate of the meeting if West Bengal Chief Minister or the State Government does not want to sit with him, Gurung stated "Then we will hold bipartite talks with the Centre. On the assurances of Union Home Minister that talks would be held within a fortnight, we had lifted the bandh." When asked whether he would attend the talks in Delhi as speculations were rife that the State Government could try to arrest him in Delhi or during the journey, Gurung stated "I am leading an agitation. Getting arrested is part of an agitation. If the situation demands and I decide to go to Delhi, I will go. Fear of arrest will not stop me." Gurung implicated in numerous cases and charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) is on the run. To foil the State Government's conspiracy to arrest me and derail the Gorkhaland agitation I am residing in jungles. Soon I will be amidst you" was Gurung's message to the public. Gurung then questioned Binay Tamang's locus standi to attend talks. "Tamang is not elected. He was nominated as the Chairman of the Board of Administrators by the Chief Minister. How did the Chief Minister nominate him? He is also implicated in hundreds of cases like me. For their own political benefit the West Bengal Government is creating such a situation" alleged Gurung. Gurung stated that only after date for the Delhi talk is confirmed the composition of the GJM team will be finalized. Meanwhile prior to the Delhi talks a BJP team led by State BJP President will be arriving at Kalimpong on Wednesday. Political commentators feel that the BJP want to test the ground before the Delhi talks. Already there is growing resentment among the masses over Delhi's calculated silence during the agitation period and the prolonged bandh. Rebel leader Tamang has asked the BJP to clarify their stand on the Gorkhaland issue before their Hill visit. He has warned the BJP of facing protests and demonstrations in the Hills. "The BJP has won parliamentary elections twice on the Gorkhaland plank but have utterly failed to address the Gorkhaland issue" alleged Tamang. Gurung however has appealed to the masses to meet the BJP delegation and apprise them of the alleged police excesses in the Hills and how the Gorkhas have been suppressed by the State Government. "GJM leaders will also be meeting the BJP team and apprising them of the present situation" added Gurung. Ghosh along with other state leaders will be arriving at Kalimpong on Wednesday. "They will be attending Dusserah Milan Samaraho at the Marwari Palace in Kalimpong on Wednesday and the GDNS Hall in Darjeeling on Thursday. The State President will have an interactive session with the public, political leaders and intellectuals in Kalimpong and Darjeeling" stated Manoj Dewan, BJP Darjeeling District President. From Darjeeling the team will be visiting Sikkim. Dubbing the BJP teams visit as "fishing in troubled waters" veteran CPIM leader Ashok Bhattacharya talking to media persons in Siliguri on Tuesday stated "Instead of trying to create further unrest, the BJP should try to press the Union Government to arrange for tripartite talks between the Union, State and the GJM so that the impasse can be diffused and a solution can be found at the earliest." OnneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, October 3, 2017, 22:06 [IST] BJP forms manifesto committee for Karnataka assembly polls India oi-PTI Bengaluru, October 3: In the run up to election due early next year, the BJP's Karnataka unit has constituted a 17-member manifesto committee. The committee is headed by former minister and MLA from the city S Suresh Kumar. MPs Shivakumar Udasi and L Prabhakar Kore, and MLAs Basavaraj Bommai, Lakshamana Savadi and Ashwathnarayan, are members of the committee. The party, which has announced its state unit president B S Yeddyurappa as its chief ministerial candidate, has set a target to win 150 seats in the 2018 Assembly polls. The ruling Congress has not announced its chief ministerial candidate yet, but has said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will lead the party in the polls. JDS will be led by former chief minister and party's state unit president H D Kumaraswamy. In the current Assembly, out of total 225 seats with one nominated member, the Congress has 123 MLAs, BJP 44, JD(S) 40, and rest are from smaller parties and independents. According to BJP sources, Yeddyurappa is likely to contest from a constituency in a north Karnataka district this time, with an intention to attract more votes towards the party from the region. Shikaripura in Shivamogga district is Yeddyurappa's constituency. Sounding the poll bugle in the state, BJP president Amit Shah had on a visit to the state in August declared that the party stands united. He is scheduled to visit Mangaluru tomorrow. Shah's call for unity within the state unit had come amid the open bickerings between some of the party leaders until recently that had embarrassed the party. Over alleged "arbitrary style" of functioning with another senior leader K S Eshwarappa, Yeddyurappa had come under criticism from a section of partymen until both were told to shun open display of differences. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, October 3, 2017, 16:44 [IST] Rahul Gandhi has not said a word': Surjewala on 'collusion with BJP' remark BSF camp attack: Modi govt compromising national security, says Randeep Surjewala India pti-PTI New Delhi, Oct 3: The Congress denounced the government over a militant attack on a BSF camp near the Srinagar airport, accusing it of compromising national security. Speaking to reporters here, Congress's chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala alleged the government had proved to be a "total failure". He asked the prime minister when his administration would formulate a policy to deal with terrorism emanating from Pakistan. "The attack is evidence of how the Modi government has compromised and toyed with national security. The question is what are Modiji and his government doing? When will we see the 56-inch chest?" Surjewala asked. Earlier in the day, security forces gunned down three Jaish-e-Mohammed militants who stormed a BSF camp near the high-security Srinagar airport. An assistant sub-inspector of the force was also killed in the gunfight. PTI Lack of development in J&K for decades was one of the reasons behind rise of terrorism: Rajnath Singh His contributions ignored: Why Rajnath Singh said Netaji was first PM of India BSF camp attacked: Rajnath compliments security forces for foiling terror attack India pti-PTI New Delhi, Oct 3: Home Minister Rajnath Singh complimented the security forces for successfully eliminating the terrorists involved in an attack on a BSF camp near Srinagar airport in Jammu and Kashmir. Singh said he has spoken to the chiefs of the Border Security Force and Central Reserve Police Force following the suicide attack near the Srinagar airport. "I have spoken to the DG CRPF and DG BSF. It was a good operation that they have conducted," he told reporters here. The home minister said one Assistant Sub Inspector of the BSF has martyred and two others were injured but they were out of danger. A group of militants today launched a suicide attack on a BSF camp near the Srinagar Airport, killing the ASI and leaving four security personnel injured. Two militants were killed in the gun-battle that is raging near the airport, forcing brief suspension of air traffic and closure of schools in the vicinity. PTI UP polls: BSP worker Arshad Rana bitterly cries for not getting ticket in viral video BSP leader shot dead, violence erupts in Allahabad India oi-Chennabasaveshwar By Chennabasaveshwar Protests erupted in Allahabad after a leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) was shot dead on Tuesday morning. Angry protestors set to two buses on fire and damaged a private hospital. Rajesh Yadav, who had contested 2017 assembly polls on a BSP ticket, was shot at about 2.30 am outside the Allahabad University's Tarachand Hostel. Yadav had gone to meet someone along with a friend. They reportedly had an argument with a group of people, who threw stones at their car and then shot the politician in his stomach. The police is trying to control the violent mob and described the situation as tense. This morning, a mob of about 50 attacked the hospital, ransacking it and also allegedly attacked journalists there, snatching and breaking their cameras and mobile phones. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, October 3, 2017, 15:47 [IST] Central team roped in as dengue cases in Bihar rise to over 5000 CSBS Bihar Constable Exam 2017: Check exam pattern here India oi-Vicky By Vicky The CSBS Bihar Constable Exam 2017 is set to be held. The CSBC constable exam is scheduled to be held on October 15 and 22, 2017. All those appearing for the exam should know the pattern. Here let us take a look at the examination pattern. In the 100 marks exam, objective type questions will be asked. The syllabus will be of 10+2 standard. The exam duration is two hours. The Bihar police constable recruitment exam will be held in two sessions on October 15. The first session will begin at 10 am to end at 12 pm while the second session will start at 2 pm to end on 4 pm. There will be one morning session on October 22. Candidates have to report to the exam centre at 9 am, that is, an hour before the exam time. Selection procedure for Bihar police recruitment 2017 The selection for the recruitment of constable in Bihar police 2017 will be done in two phases. In the first phase, there will be a written exam and the candidate has to score a minimum of 30 marks out of 100 to appear for the second phase. In phase II, there will be the Physical Evaluation Test (PET) of 100 marks. The candidates will have to perform well in the race, shot put and high jump rounds. The final merit list will be prepared on the basis of the marks scored by the aspirants in the Physical Evaluation Test (PET). OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, October 3, 2017, 7:51 [IST] Dalai Lama expresses grief over Las Vegas massacre, calls for brotherhood India pti-PTI Dharamshala, Oct 3: Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama expressed sorrow over the Las Vegas gunfire deaths and called for a world based on universal brotherhood. The Nobel Peace Laureate said such violence came out of a lack of compassion and respect for life. At least 59 people were killed and over 500 wounded when a gunman shot at concert-goers in the American resort city on Sunday night. Advocating religious harmony, the Dalai Lama also lauded India as "a land of diverse cultures and religions". Despite "isolated incidents", all major religious traditions of the world existed peacefully in India which was a matter of great pride, said the Dalai Lama, who began a teaching session at the main Tibetan temple Thekchen Choeling Tsuglagkhang, in Mecleodganj in upper Dharamshala, today. "If you keep harbouring anger or jealousy towards others, you will be on the losing end, because you will remain mentally disturbed unless you resolve it," he said, denouncing the "myopic worldview of us-vs-them". He called for faith based on reason and logic rather than blindly following a religion that one was born into. While following any religion, including Buddhism, practitioners should have full understanding of the methods and concepts of that tradition, he said. "Desire for happiness is universal to all sentient beings. However, unlike animals, we humans have an inborn faculty of thought. Therefore, we should use this faculty to develop happiness through love and compassion," he added. The four-day session has been organised at the request of a group of devotees from Taiwan. Over 5000 followers from 69 countries are attending the teachings which will conclude on October 6. PTI Dalit men thrashed and killed in Gujarat, raises question on laws against lynching India oi-Shreya By Shreya Just when attacks on Dalits and acts of violence on journalists, and the subsequent protests against such acts made headlines, news of Dalits being thrashed in Gujarat made it to the forefront. Two dalit men were allegedly thrashed by men belonging to the Rajput community in Gujarat in two different incidents for sporting a moustache and in another a dalit man was lynched for attending Garba. According to reports the incidents took place Limbodara village in Kalol taluka of Gandhinagar district on September 25 and 29. Krunal Maheria (30), a law student was allegedly roughed up by Bharatsinh Vaghela. In his complaint to police, Maheria said that he was assaulted for sporting a moustache. Based on Maheria's complaint, an FIR has been lodged against Vaghela, under the IPC section 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) of the IPC and under the Prevention of Atrocities , who was arrested on Sunday. A similar incident took place on September 25, where some members of the Rajput community allegedly assaulted a 24-year-old Piyush Parmar for keeping a moustache. On October 1st, a 21-year-old dalit youth was lynched by upper caste Patel community for attending a garba event in Gujarat. According to police all accused have been arrested. According to reports, the victim was thrashed and his head was banged against the wall. He was declared death at the hospital. If one keeps a track of number and frequency of such acts, one will notice the increasing frequency. Not only people belonging to the lower case, but journalists or rationalists who refuse to toe the line of a certain ideology are falling victims to such terror, mostly. Recently the nation was shook by the cold-blooded murder of noted journalist Gauri Lankesh, who was shot to dead in front of her residence in Bangalore. After Lankesh, a journalist from Tripura, Shantanu Bhowmik was stabbed to death while covering a conflict. Several journalists in the national capital have received threats on WhatsApp messenger, warning them of same fate of Gauri Lankesh. The repeated incidents of attacks and acts of lynching have become very common, and numerous protests have failed to ensure action against the perpetrators. Speaking to Oneindia, Activist Tehseen Poonawalla said, "A similar incident took place on in Gujarat's Una and the PM came out and said don't shoot them, shoot me, the point I am trying to make is that instead of throwing pople who break the law in jail the PM is encouraging people to break another law. This is how people have now got the encouragement to attack Dalits because they belief no action will be taken against them and if things go out of control they will be proptected with stuff 'like attack me don't attack them'. To fight with the growing terror of lynching, a law called Masuka has been drafted, which if passed will be India's first law dealing specifically on lynching. Masuka not only ensures speedy justice, but also state protection to the victim, witnesses and only provide for compensation to the ones assaulted and the kins of victims. OneIndia News Elphinstone stampede: 10-day survey to decide on 'safe' stations India oi-Anusha Days after the Elphinstone station stampede claimed 23 lives in Mumbai efforts are being taken to make railway stations safe. About 150 officials from various departments will carry out inspections at crowded stations in Mumbai for the next 10 days to assess passenger safety and provide inputs to improve infrastructure. As per the orders of Union Railway minister Piyush Goyal, officials from multiple government agencies will inspect select stations- especially crowded ones- in Mumbai and carry out a thorough study on passenger safety, infrastructure quality, need for improvement and funds. Officials will divide themselves into groups of seven and inspect all railway stations on the Central and Western Railways line of Mumbai suburbs. Out of the 136 railway stations on the Mumbai Suburban system, the teams are expected to inspect those on the Churchgate-Virar section of Western Railways, and CSMT-Panvel, CSMT-Kalyan sections of Central Railway. These routes are the most crowded and attract a major load of commuters. Inspection of foot-overbridge, entry and exit points, ticket booking counters, platforms and food stalls will be the focus of the teams. The teams consisting of officials from commercial, engineering, Railway Police Force, railway construction, Mumbai Police, Government Railway Police, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation will carry out the checks. The teams will be equipped with cameras to videographs the shortcomings to identify the issues that ail railway stations and trouble passengers. Solutions to each problem will be proposed individually. Corporators from Vasai Virar, Mira Bhayander, Kalyan Dombivali and Navi Mumbai in case of stations beyond Mumbai limits are also expected to be part of the teams. The teams will visit the stations at peak hours in the morning as well as evening to assess the need for improvement. In the next 10 days, the multiple agency teams are expected to prepare a report that points out problems as well as solutions to put an end to the misery of the commuters and better railway infrastructure. Maharashtra Education Minister Vinod Tawde will chair a meeting of the officials in the month of October to review the suggestions and implementation of the same. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, October 3, 2017, 10:45 [IST] Elphinstone stampede: PIL seeking NIA probe over 'soft terror angle' filed in Bombay High Court India oi-Anusha A petition seeking either a National Investigation Agency (NIA) or judicial commission probe into the Elphinstone stampede has been filed before the Bombay High Court. The Public Interest Litigation seeks action against those responsible for the tragedy in which 23 lives were lost in Mumbai. The petition filed by one, Faisal Yusuf Banaraswala, has demanded that the tragedy be probed by the NIA to rule out soft terror angle in the case. This is the third such PIL being filed in connection with the tragedy. THe Bombay High Court will hear the petition on October 5. The petition comes at a time when the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has called for protests over the tragedy. On Thursday, MNS chief Raj Thackeray will go on a one-km-long march as a mark of protest. MNS has asked citizens to join the protest that will be held between Metro cinema and Churchgate station. In a bid to gather numbers for the protest Thackeray has been urging netizens to highlight the plight of the regular Mumbaikar. The MNS has been active on social media, releasing a series of messages and videos about passengers struggling to board trains. The publicity material also highlights the lack of proper amenities and the problem created by hawkers around railway stations. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, October 3, 2017, 15:42 [IST] RRR box office collection in Japan: SS Rajamouli's flick likely to beat '3 Idiots' record As 'RRR' performs well at Japan box office, SS Rajamouli confirms sequel to NTR-Charan-starrer Telangana youth beaten up over remarks on Prophet; 5 arrested 'Yashoda' 1st weekend box office collection: Here's how much it collected in 3 days Heavy rains in Hyderabad, more expected in next 48 hours India oi-Deepika By Deepika Recommended Video Hyderabad Rains: City lashed by heavy rain, 3 dead, more rain in next 48 hrs | Oneindia News Three people died as Hyderabad was lashed for five hours by heavy rain, triggered by a cloudburst, on Monday, leaving the city paralysed. The city recorded 6.76cm rainfall (up to 8.30pm), which caused waterlogging at perennial hotspots, traffic snarls and power outages. While it hasn't rained this morning, the weather office predicts more rain in next 48 hours. Authorities have asked residents to avoid localities like Begumpet, Mojamhahi market, and the Narayanaguda-Liberty route. Civic officials are clearing the roads. Saroornagar Lake frothing The heavy rain led to Saroornagar Lake in the city spewing foam and froth which entered nearby residential colonies. Water-logging Water-logging in various parts of Hyderabad after incessant rainfall has been reported. Images this morning showed water entering Hyderabad's Holy Trinity Church, following the incessant downpour. Water-logging in Nehru Zoological Park after incessant rain in the city. Safari at Nehru zoo suspended temporarily due to waterlogging Flooding water also entered in Nehru Zoological Park after incessant rain in the city. The authorities have been draining excess water through pumps and by digging channels.There are chances of animals falling sick if they drink such contaminated water. People stranded People returning home from their workplaces were caught in long traffic snarls. Techies were stranded in a long traffic jam in Madhapur, which houses many software giants. Terming it an emergency situation, chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has requested citizens "not to step out unless it is very important". Police play good Samaritan In terribly wet conditions on a very busy road in Hyderabad one absolutely drenched traffic cop was seen stepping up to help public, who were lost in the heavy rains. Schools, colleges shut With the intensity of rain growing, state education ministry declared late at night that all schools and colleges in the Hyderabad region would remain closed on Tuesday. OneIndia News Honeypreet Insan, adopted daughter of Ram Rahim arrested India oi-Vicky By Vicky Recommended Video Honeypreet Insan in Punjab police custody, confirms Haryana Police | Oneindia News Honeypreet Insan has surrendered before the Haryana police. She was on the run for over a month after being accused of inciting violence following the conviction of Gurmeet Ram Rahim in a rape case. Following the surrender, the police formally arrested her. She will be produced before a court on Wednesday said Panchkula DCP Manbir Singh. Anticipating trouble, security was stepped up at Panchkula. A lookout notice and an arrest warrant were issued by the Haryana Police against Honeypreet after she was booked at Sector 5 police station in Panchkula along with Dera functionaries Aditya Insan and Surinder Dhiman for allegedly inciting violence in Panchkula in the aftermath of the Dera head's conviction in a twin rape case. Honeypreet denies that she was involved in any of the violence. The adopted daughter of Ram Rahim, she had earlier spoken to a news channel and said that she had full faith in the law. The Delhi police had last week rejected her plea for anticipatory bail. She had been booked along with several other Dera members for inciting violence following the conviction on August 25. Earlier there were reports that she had fled to Nepal. However in the interview she had said that she had never left the country. In an interview with News 24 she had said earlier from an undisclosed location that she was shocked by news reports about her relationship with Ram Rahim. Can't a father touch his daughter lovingly, she had asked. She also said that she had full faith in the judiciary. I will approach the Punjab and Haryana high Court, she also said. On reports about her relationship with Ram Rahim, she said that these are aimed at tarnishing the image of a father and daughter. Can't a father love his daughter, can't a father touch his daughter lovingly, she also asked. These comments came after her former husband, Vishwas Gupta alleged that he had caught Ram Rahim having sex with Honeypreet. "Honeypreet slept in Ram Rahim's bed and had sex with him too. I saw her naked with Baba," he said, adding that Ram Rahim would ask him to stay out of his room while she was inside with him and warned him to not tell anyone about it. On her whereabouts, she said that she never fled the country. I was shocked to find about a look out notice against me. On September 27, the Delhi High Court had rejected the transit anticipatory bail plea of Honeypreet, facing charges of sedition and inciting violence. OneIndia News AAP vs LG fight again and this is time it is on Gandhi Jayanti How to make Assam alcohol mukt? Group writes letter to Mahatma Gandhi India oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Guwahati, Oct 3: Mahatma Gandhi was a strong supporter of bringing alcohol prohibition as he considered "drinking" the biggest evil in society. A pro-prohibition group in Assam, which strongly feels that liquor ban should be imposed in the Northeastern state as "drinking" among Assamese people (mostly men) has reached a great proportion, on the occasion of the 148th birth anniversary of Gandhi on Monday, decided to write a letter (a symbolic one) to the deceased Father of the Nation to help the state get rid of alcohol menace and create public awareness about the ill-effects of alcohol. The members of the group, which calls itself Mod-Mukta Asom Dabi Samity (Liquor-free Assam Demand Committee), on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti wrote a letter to Bapu ji and also staged a dharna in Guwahati to demand ban on liquor in the state. The letter to Gandhi also urged the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government to ban liquor in the state. "Bapu ji, you had always considered liquor as the biggest evil in society and tried to liberate people from its clutches. But after our country attained Independence, the government did not take any initiative in the anti-liquor campaign--instead, considering it to be good source of revenue for the state, it helped in its distribution," said the letter written by the group. The group hosted dharnas in various parts of the state on Gandhi Jayanti to press for their demand to ban liquor. "Mahatma Gandhi, whom we consider the Father of the Nation, had spoken for banning liquor. But our government never followed his ideals in real earnest and therefore, they have no moral authority to garland his photograph on his birth anniversary," said Deep Das, a member of the group. "We appeal to the government for a complete ban on the sale of liquor as in states like Bihar, Manipur and Nagaland," Das added. The reason behind the demand by the group has been triggered by the fact that liquor consumption has increased manifold in the state. Das said the state government revenue from the sale of liquor has risen alarmingly last financial year and crossed Rs 250 crore. "As a result, around 25 per cent of the total population of the state consumes liquor and a majority of the road accident deaths in the state are due to drink driving," he said. According to an estimate, the state has more than 1,400 licensed liquor shops. The group said that because of alcohol consumption many families have been destroyed. "It is the women who suffered the most if their husbands develop drinking problem. So, we want rehabilitation of women subjected to domestic violence by their husbands under the influence of alcohol and men who spent their earnings on liquor. "We also appeal to the state government to explore the possibility of including ill-effects of alcohol and drug abuse in the school curriculum to sensitise students," said another member of the group. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, October 3, 2017, 8:10 [IST] IAF's women combat aircraft pilots set to fly Sukhoi-30 this month India oi-Chennabasaveshwar By Chennabasaveshwar Recommended Video IAF's women combat aircraft pilots set to fly Sukhoi-30 this month | Oneindia News India's first female combat aircraft pilots are likely to fly the supersonic Sukhoi-30 jets after the completion of the last leg of their training, said Indian Air Force officials. Three women, Bhawana Kanth, Mohana Singh and Avani Chaturvedi, are currently training on British Hawk advanced jet trainers at an IAF facility at Kalaikunda in West Bengal, reports Hindustan Times. They were commissioned at a function at Air Force Academy in Dundigal on the outskirts of Hyderabad in June 2016. Firstly, they went to Bidar in Karnataka for their stage-III training for a year on Hawk advanced jet trainers in June 2016. The women are likely to be assigned to a Sukhoi-30 squadron later this month, IAF sources told HT. They are part of a batch of around 40 flying officers training on Hawks at the Kalaikunda air force station. Women fighter pilots during passing put parade Women fighter pilots Avani Chaturvedi, Bhavana Kanth and Mohana Singh who were inducted in the Indian Air Force pose for photograph during their Combined Graduation Parade at Air Force Academy in Hyderabad on Saturday, June 18, 2016. PTI Photo Pilots with Late Marshal of the Indian Air Force (MIAF) Arjan Singh Marshal of the Indian Air Force (MIAF) Arjan Singh along with Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha meeting with three newly commissioned women fighter pilots at his residence in New Delhi on Friday. PTI Photo Cadets roaring to go The three cadets who will be inducted in the Indian Air Force on June 18 as the first batch of women fighter pilots. PTI Photo Sukhoi Su-30MKI The Sukhoi Su-30MKI, a twinjet Multirole Air superiority fighter lands after a sortie at the forward base in the Western sector. PTI file photo OneIndia News This cop from Pakistan became a millionaire overnight: Here is how With the number of anonymous rogues from Pak rising, here's how BSF is beating down the drones Jawan killed in ceasefire violation by Pak forces in Poonch India oi-PTI Jammu, October 3: An Army jawan was killed on Tuesday as Pakistani firing from across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district. In the exchange of fire, Naik Mahendra Chemjung was grievously injured and succumbed to injuries, Army officer said. "Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked firing on Indian Army posts in the Krishna Ghati sector at around 1250 hours today. Indian Army retaliated strongly and effectively," a defence spokesman said. Mahendra Chemjung, 35, belonged to Chilingdin in Nepal and is survived by his wife Nayan Kala Chemjung and a son, the spokesman said. "Chemjung was a brave and sincere soldier. The nation will always remain indebted to him for the supreme sacrifice and devotion to duty," he added. Two minors were killed and 12 civilians, including five children, injured in cross-border shelling by Pakistan along the LoC in Poonch district on Monday. The youngest being five-year-old Zobia Kousar, who was airlifted to a hospital in Jammu. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, October 3, 2017, 18:04 [IST] TNPSC Group 1 Hall Ticket For Prelims 2022 out: Check steps to download Heavy rains submerge most of Tamil Nadu; 'holiday' declared for schools CM Stalin visits rain-affected areas; More rains in store for Chennai 'Medicine can also be studied in Tamil medium!' - CM Stalin's efforts are getting a growing response Mayor Priya is not the puppet but the savior - How did Chennai recover from the floods? Karnataka Prisons department rejects Sasikala's parole application to meet ailing husband Natarajan India oi-Madhuri Karnataka Prisons department on Tuesday rejected deposed AIADMK leader V.K. Sasikala's parole application to visit her ailing husband M. Natarajan. Sasikala, who is currently serving her sentence in a Bengaluru prison after her conviction in a disproportionate assets case, had applied for parole to meet her ailing husband M. Natarajan. Her husband Natarajan is awaiting a liver transplant in a hospital in Chennai. Her advocates had sought for a 15-day parole, but Mr. Dhinakaran said he was not sure how many days she would be granted leave. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, October 3, 2017, 19:15 [IST] Mehbooba Mufti asks JKSPDC to exploit potential of solar energy in state India pti-PTI Srinagar, Oct 3: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti asked the State Power Development Cooperation to exploit the huge potential of solar energy in the state in view of the straining future power market in the country. Mehbooba also asked the corporation to come up with a quantifiable data of the losses suffered by the state due to the Indus Water Treaty. The chief minister said this while chairing the board of directors meeting of the J&K State Power Development Corporation (JKSPDC) here. Mehbooba advised the corporation to explore the possibility of setting up of small solar power plants at district levels to meet the power requirement locally. "This would be in view of the low cost of production in terms of solar power and also keeping in mind the straining power market of the country in future," she said. The chief minister also asked the corporation to undertake an in-depth study for quantifying the losses suffered to Jammu and Kashmir due to the Indus Water Treaty, using all professional expertise for the purpose. She also asked it to execute a policy of corporate social responsibility for the welfare and development of its catchment areas. PTI Months after big claims, where is the farm loan waiver in Karnataka, Punjab and Maharashtra? India oi-Anusha Three farmers committed suicide in a single day in Punjab as recently as October 1. A debt-ridden farmer in Karnataka's Kalburgi taluk was found hanging dead on September 30. A farmer from Yavatmal of Maharashtra hung himself after holding Minister Narendra Modi government and debts as the reason. Incidentally, all these farmers hail from states that announced big farm loan waiver scheme. Months after the announcement, the benefits are yet to reach the farmers. While in some cases the scheme is too little, in other cases it is too late. Despite assurances by the government to waive off part of farm loans, farmer suicides continue unabated. The delay in disbursing the loans seems to be a primary reason. Three months since announcement, Karnataka yet to release funds In Karnataka, the Rabi season has already begun with abundant rains bringing cheer. For farmers growing in debt, however, the misery continues. The state government is yet to release a single rupee of the Rs 8,165 crore crop loan waiver. Farmers in Karnataka are caught between the devil and the deep sea. On one hand, the government is yet to release funds to the banks and cooperative societies to ensure that fresh loans are available and balance sheets are cleared. On the other, farmers willing to repay the loans themselves are being turned away by banks awaiting government funds to waive current loans. In the bargain, farmers are losing out on fresh loans for Rabi crops Farmer suicides continue unabated in Punjab The assurance of a loan wavier came months ago but the Punjab cabinet cleared the notification for the same only in September. Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh in June announced the waiver that aimed at benefiting 10.25 lakh farmers, including 8.75 lakh farmers up to 5 acres with Rs 2 lakh loan waiver. Months down the line, farmer suicides continue to haunt Punjab- India's food bowl. A high-level panel headed by NITI Aayog advisor Tajamul Haque has suggested that the center should help Punjab government with financial aid to farmers. The panel has pegged accumulated an institutional debt of the state's farmers as on March 31 this year at Rs 73,772 crore of which Rs 59,621 crore of crop loan and Rs 14,151 crore of the term loan. The total loan works out at Rs 1,20,000 crore, since 39 per cent debt belongs to the informal category, including moneylenders, according to the panel. The numbers are overwhelming but the help that is coming the farmers' way is very less. Yet again, not a single rupee has been released to the farmers from the state. The farm loan mess in Maharashtra After a huge protest from farmers, the Maharashtra government announced a farm loan waiver scheme worth Rs 34,000 crore. In an attempt to ensure that the scheme only benefits those who are in need and eligible, the state government undertook online registration and direct disbursal method. The method has only resulted in a mess. "Reading between the lines of a farm loan waiver is very important. It comes with terms and conditions and these conditions become detrimental for the farmer. Loan waiver schemes are an eyewash and at best, a temporary fix to a larger problem. We need to look at long-term solutions," Devinder Sharma, agricultural researcher, and activist told OneIndia. Maharashtra has a cap of Rs 1.5 lakh for the waiver and leaves out many who need relief. 57 lakh applications have been filed online so far after the extension of the deadline. The number is 31 lakhs less than Fadnavis' claim of the scheme helping 89 lakh beneficiaries. With many conditions and criteria for eligibility, not a single farmer has received any replief from the government that boasted of a 'mammoth relief package'. Seasons are rolling and balance sheets are becoming heavier but farmers in the country are receiving no relief. Even in states like Uttar Pradesh where the process of waiving loans have started, farmers are being mocked with waiver as low as 1 paise despite having loans of lakhs. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, October 3, 2017, 13:41 [IST] Himachal was valued less on strength, more on Parliament seats before: PM Modi PM Modi lays foundation stone of AIIMS in Himachal Pradesh India oi-Chennabasaveshwar By Chennabasaveshwar Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday laid the foundation stone of AIIMS and IIIT in Himachal Pradesh's Bilaspur. Governor Acharya Dev Vrat, CM Virbhadra Singh and Union Min JP Nadda were present in the programme. Pm Modi, said, "Opening of AIIMS in Himachal Pradesh especially in this region of the state has a lot of benefits for people. We're making a campus where over 3000 people will work together. This is also bringing employment opportunities." This will be This 750 bed hospital will be built at a cost of approximately Rs. 1350 crore. In addition to healthcare, it will also provide medical education at the under-graduate and post-graduate level, besides nursing. Kicking off the BJP's election campaign in Himachal Pradesh, PM said the Congress leadership was wary of taking action against the Himachal chief minister as it was also sailing in the same boat. Modi's rally is significant as the BJP lost due to infighting in 2012 and is putting all its might to regain power in the hill state that goes to the polls soon. In 2012, the BJP, which has 29 seats in the Vidhan Sabha, lost largely due to infighting between former chief ministers Prem Kumar Dhumal and Shanta Kumar. The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone for the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), at Una. OneIndia News Sonia tells Lalu, Nitish to meet her again after Cong gets new president Railway tender case: CBI summons Lalu, Tejashwi on Oct 5, 6 respectively India oi-Deepika By Deepika Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad failed to appear before the CBI for questioning on Tuesday in connection with a case of corruption. Fresh summons have been issued to RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his son Tejashwi after their inavailability to appear before CBI. Lalu, a former railway minister, has been asked to appear on October 5, and Tejashwi the next day, CBI sources said. Lalu had 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. 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. On July 7, the CBI carried out searches at 12 locations after registering a corruption case against former railway minister Lalu and his family members, including wife Rabri Devi and his son former deputy chief minister of Bihar Tejashwi. 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. 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. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, October 3, 2017, 11:13 [IST] SC asks govt to update rules on granting of parole, furlough India oi-PTI New Delhi, October 2: The Supreme Court has said convicts too "must breathe fresh air" and be allowed to maintain social ties provided they show a tendency to reform and favoured a "humanistic approach" while dealing with pleas for parole or furlough to those serving long jail terms. A bench of Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan asked the government to update its rules, framed way back in 1955, on granting of parole and furlough, saying these were skeletal in nature. It referred to one of the objectives of awarding punishment and said it was about reformation of the convicts. "There is an imperative and immediate need for updating these Rules thereby including comprehensive provisions in the light of the discussion...so as to provide suitable guidelines to those who have to consider such applications for grant of parole," it said, adding that the copy of its verdict be sent to the Ministry of Law and Justice. The bench, however, said a person must remain in jail for the period of sentence awarded to him or her. "It is in this context that his release from jail for a short period has to be considered as an opportunity afforded to him not only to solve his personal and family problems but also to maintain his links with society. "Convicts too must breathe fresh air for at least some time provided they maintain good conduct consistently during incarceration and show a tendency to reform themselves and become good citizens. Thus, redemption and rehabilitation of such prisoners for good of societies must receive due weightage while they are undergoing sentence of imprisonment," it said. The top court, in its verdict, referred to the grounds on which parole can be granted and said "the most important ground, which stands out, is that a prisoner should be allowed to maintain family and social ties." It said the reason for grant of parole to maintain family and social ties also found justification in one of the objectives behind punishment that was reformation of convicts. "When we recognise reformation as one of the objectives, it provides justification for letting of even the life convicts for short periods, on parole, in order to afford opportunities to such convicts not only to solve their personal and family problems but also to maintain their links with the society. "Another objective which this theory underlines is that even such convicts have right to breathe fresh air, albeit for periods," it said. The verdict came on the plea of one Asfaq, who is serving life term in connection with cases lodged under TADA for his role in serial bomb blasts that had taken took place in five trains on December 6, 1993. The blasts had taken place in trains at Kota, Allahabad, Kanpur, Gujarat, Malkangiri and Karjat allegedly at the behest of certain miscreants on the first anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition. Asfaq had moved the apex court against denial of parole by the authorities. The court, however, upheld the decision of the Rajashtan High Court with a direction that he may file a fresh plea seeking parole after some time, if the situation warranted. A parole can be defined as conditional release of prisoners on good behaviour, with regular reporting to the authorities for a set period of time. Furlough, on the other hand, is a brief release from the prison which is given in cases of long-term imprisonment. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, October 3, 2017, 10:15 [IST] PM Modi holds brief discussion with French President at the start of G20 Summit in Bali 'Return to the path of ceasefire and diplomacy': PM Modi's advice on Ukraine crisis at G20 Summit Temple with 100 foot tall idol of Narendra Modi to be built in Meerut India oi-Vicky By Vicky A temple will be built in the name of Narendra Modi at Meerut. J P Singh a follower and supporter of the Prime Minister said that the temple will be built on five acres of land in the Sardhana area of Meerut. A 100 foot statue of the PM will be installed. "I am inspired by the love Narendra Modi has for mother India. The 'Modi magic' deserves that a temple be built which will also be a kind of commemoration of Modiji's model of development," Singh who retired recently as an assistant engineer in the irrigation department said. Singh said, "5 acres of land has been bought on Meerut-Karnal highway. A huge statue of Modiji will be installed in the temple. It will take two years to complete the Modi temple." He said the bhoomi pujan would be held on October 23. He said the estimated expenditure of 10 crore would be generated out of public donations. OneIndia News Accession Day: Valley lights up on this day when J&K became part of India Srinagar: BSF camp attack, 3 terrorists killed, ASI martyred India oi-Vicky By Vicky Three terrorists have been killed following an 8 hour long encounter that broke out at a BSF camp in Srinagar. One ASI has been martyred in the attack. The attack took place on the BSF 182 battalion camp which is near the Srinagar international airport. The troops of the CRPF, 53 Rashtriya Rifles, BSF and SOG Zonal had cordoned off the building where the terrorists were holed up. #WATCH Heavy firing at BSF 182 battalion camp, operation underway. (Visuals deferred by unspecified time) #SrinagarTerrorAttack pic.twitter.com/MwhIeHdzhg ANI (@ANI) October 3, 2017 Earlier flight operations had been suspended. However passengers are now being allowed to move towards the airport. This was being done to avoid any inconvenience to the passengers. Flight services are however yet to resume and a final decision would be taken by the Airport Authority of India following a security clearance. Meanwhile airports in metro cities have been put on high alert as a precautionary measure. The Jaish-e-Mohammad has claimed responsibility for the attack. Several infiltration bids and cease fire violations have been reported in the past couple of weeks. The Pakistan army has been providing cover fire to terrorists so that they could infiltrate. Such attempts would go up as Pakistan would want to place as many terrorists as possible in the Valley before the winter sets in. OneIndia News Why questioning nationalism of Assam Muslim men, with track record of serving India, is shameful India oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Guwahati, Oct 3: In Assam, the issue of "identity politics" is back in the limelight, especially after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in the state for the first time last year. Since the saffron party has come to power in Assam--which for decades has been fighting over the vexed issue of illegal immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh--the state is once again witnessing a resurgence of "identity politics", where target is not just the illegal Muslim Bangladeshis, but most often bonafide citizens of the country, unfortunately coming under the scanner of "nationalists and nationalist groups" for their religion. The latest two cases--involving two Muslim men, both educated and have a proven track record of serving the nation (one who was an ex-Army personnel and another an award-winning disabled rights activist)--but were asked to prove their nationality and nationalism once again showcases the rise and rise of ugly head of Hindutva politics encouraged directly and indirectly by the ruling Narendra Modi government at the Centre. First, came the news of Mohammad Azmal Haque, a retired army official who had served the country for three decades, but was asked to prove his Indian citizenship by the foreigners tribunal (Number 2) at Boko in Kamrup district of Assam, not only rattled the man for being questioned by authorities about his identity and his very existence, but once again brings to focus how one's religion (read Islam) often brings trouble to people in a secular and democratic country like India. Then came the story of Arman Ali, an award winning Guwahati-based disabled rights activist, whose recent outing for a film in the city proved how India has started judging people about his/her love for the country (read nationalism) by acts like standing for the national anthem played during the beginning of a film in cinema halls. When Ali, who himself is physically disabled and uses a wheelchair to move from one place to another, failed to standup during the playing of the national anthem at the cinema hall, a few men accused him of being a "Pakistani" without caring to look at his condition. After Ali posted the humiliating episode on Facebook, the media has been covering the issue relentlessly. This is what Ali wrote on Facebook: While Ali's ugly encounter with "nationalism" in a cinema theatre is mostly seen as a plight of disabled people across the country due to lack of availability of facilities and empathy in public places, but the activist himself did not reject the idea that he could have been in a precarious situation had his identity of being a Muslim was also known to his tormentors. Ali, in the comment section of his Facebook post, stated his fear of being "lynched" inside the theatre for being a "Muslim". "Probably, I would have been lynched yesterday if they knew I was a Muslim guy," Ali wrote. Ali's fear of being killed has naturally emerged from the fact that a large number of Indian Muslims in recent times have been lynched to death on suspicion of being a beef-eater, a cow smuggler or an anti-nationalist. Likewise, Haque, who joined the Indian Army as a sepoy on September 13, 1986, and retired as a junior commissioned officer on September 13, 2016, was "hurt" for being questioned about his nationality. "It hurts to receive such a notice after serving and defending one's motherland for three decades," the ex-serviceman was quoted as saying by The Telegraph. The local tribunal office in its notice asked the former army personnel to appear before its members on October 13 with required documents to prove that he was not an illegal Bangladeshi migrant. Similar kind of notice, like the one served to Haque, putting a person in the doubtful-voter ('D' voter) category, was served to 40 others from his native village. "Considering the current situation in the state, I am forced to think that it had happened to me only because I belong to a particular community. Around 40 others from my village have been given such notices and I personally know that they are all Indian citizens," he added. Even in the past he had received such a notice. Haque said he received a notice in 2012 saying he was a doubtful voter. "...but I submitted all documents in the tribunal court and it had declared me as an Indian citizen," he added. "Why do I have to be humiliated so many times? I request the prime minister, the president and the home minister to end this harassment of a proper citizen," Haque was quoted as saying by PTI. He said a notice was slapped on his wife also in 2012, but the "tribunal declared her an Indian citizen after she furnished proof". As Assam is in the race of finishing the task of updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) to identify and detect illegal immigrants by December 2017, thus many Muslims, who are of Indian-origin, fear that they too might be labelled as 'D' voters because of their religion. Along with Haque, who was a part of the revered Indian Army (the Indian Army employs only Indian citizens), many well-known Assamese Muslims families too have come under the scanner of government officials raising doubts about their nationality. The family members of Assamese actor of international repute, Adil Hussain, and Padma Shri Eli Ahmed were also branded as 'D' voters. As per the government figures, Assam has identified 141,733 'D' voters. However, after probe it has been found that more than 92 per cent of the resolved cases of 'D' voters have been declared as genuine Indian nationals, stated a white paper published by the Assam government in 2012. One of the BJP's main poll promises was to resolve the issue of illegal immigrants which continue to shimmer in the state since the time Assam Agitation broke out in 1979 for a period of six years that demanded the deportation of "Bangladeshis" from the state. However, successive governments, especially the 15 years rule of the Congress till 2016, never did anything to solve the problems and political parties continue to play vote bank politics over the issue. The BJP says that Hindu Bangladeshis will be given Indian citizenships, but the saffron party shares no such concern for the Muslim illegal immigrants. The Congress, on its part, has been accused of playing minority politics by giving safe haven to millions of "illegal Muslim Bangladeshis" in the state. The main regional party in Assam, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), which came to power after the Assam Agitation got over after signing the Assam Accord that put 1971 as the cut-off year after which anyone who had crossed the Indo-Bangladesh border to take shelter in the state would be considered as "illegal", maintains that both Hindu and Muslim illegal immigrants should be deported, a sentiment shared by many people in the state. The AGP too never did anything to solve the issue forever during its rule. However, as the BJP and the Congress play their politics over the issue of nationality, experts fear that the state might be heading towards a communal strife between the two communities that would initially start as a fight over land rights. As politics of communalism and nationalism have reared their ugly heads in the state, it needs a clear understanding over issues like rights of the indigenous people, rights of refugees, how to deal humanely with illegal immigrants and most importantly why not to play politics over one's identity in Assam which is a ticking time bomb that could burst anytime soon. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, October 3, 2017, 12:06 [IST] Deadliest mass shooting rekindles debate on gun control laws International oi-PTI Washington, October 2: The debate on gun control laws is back after the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history at Las Vegas that killed at least 58 people and injured over 500 others. Nearly 12,000 Americans have been killed by guns in 273 mass shootings in 2017 so far - one incident for each day. On an average, more than 90 Americans lose their lives to gun violence every day, a daily toll of heartbreak and tragedy in communities across the US. Experts believe that the last night incident, which President Donald Trump termed as an "act of pure evil", is unlikely to bridge the bitter differences between the pro- and anti-gun control law lobbies in the country. Trump, who ran his campaign against any gun control laws, did not mention it in his two remarks today during which he said that this is "a very very sad" day for him. Responding to questions, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said today that is the day of reflection and mourning and not a day to discuss political issues. Referring to Chicago, she said gun control laws have not been helpful. Taking a lead, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader, sought off a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan on creation of a Standing Committee on gun violence and passage of a common-sense legislation on gun control. "Congress has a moral duty to address this horrific and heartbreaking epidemic. Charged with the solemn duty to protect and defend the American people, we must respond to these tragedies with courage, unity and decisive action," Pelosi said in her letter to Ryan. The Congress, she said, must pass the bipartisan King- Thompson legislation to strengthen the life-saving background checks that keep guns out of the wrong hands. But this is only a first step, she said. "I urge you to create a Select Committee on Gun Violence to study and report back common sense legislation to help end this crisis. The bipartisan committee would make recommendations to prevent unspeakable tragedies such as the mass shooting in Las Vegas and to restore confidence in the safety of our communities," Pelosi said. Congressman Kathy Castor said: "Certainly, we can come together to pass common sense safety requirements such as background checks and limits on civilian use of military-style weapons and to enforce the laws on the books. "The sorrow that I and so many around the country feel for the innocent men and women whose lives were cruelly cut short by this heartless act of domestic terrorism is immeasurable". Congressman Earl Blumenauer said: "From Orlando to Roseburg, OR and now Las Vegas, the carnage has only continued. Thoughts and prayers will not stop future tragedy. Enough is enough. My hope is that sanity will prevail, and Republican leadership in Congress will muster up the courage to act". The right-wing - and NRA - messaging point that nothing could have been done to prevent the horrific attack in Las Vegas is just wrong, he said. Over two years ago, he had released a comprehensive plan to deal with gun violence like the public health epidemic that it is, the lawmaker said, adding that the solutions should not be hard. Congressman Andre Carson said it is time people need to stop hiding behind the false narrative that enacting common sense gun policies somehow limits the rights of law abiding Americans. "Every day that we fail to act puts more innocent lives at risk. It is long past time to fix our gun laws. Congress has a moral responsibility to act and address the daily tragedy of gun violence in our communities," he said. Last week, he said, Republicans planned to vote on a bill that would loosen gun laws, instead of strengthening them. In light of the tragedy in Las Vegas, and the ongoing tragedy of gun violence in America, this could not be more inappropriate. The American people deserve a vote on legislation that will curb gun violence, including reinstating an assault weapons ban and instituting new restrictions on gun trafficking, Carson said. Congressman Alcee L Hastings said that more than 33,000 people will die from gun violence this year. "With each new tragedy that occurs, those who stand in the way of legislation to address our country's gun violence epidemic are increasingly culpable for its continuation," he said. "Trump, who ran as a champion of gun rights throughout his campaign, is unlikely to directly tackle the issue of gun control and, in fact, rolled back a restriction that made it more difficult for people with mental illnesses to purchase a gun," a report in Newsweek said. Acts of mass gun violence, reported The Washington Post, "have done little to change the strong partisan divide on the issue". Most Republicans think Americans should have a greater ability to protect themselves, while most Democrats argue that the incidents heighten the need for tighter gun laws, the daily said. PTI Did Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock convert to Islam? International oi-Vicky By Vicky Recommended Video Las Vegas Shooting: Did Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock convert to Islam? | Oneindia News Following a claim made by the Islamic State, the question being asked is whether the shooter Stephen Paddock had converted to Islam. Stephen Paddock the man who mercilessly killed 58 persons at Las Vegas did not have a criminal history. While the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack, the investigators are not ready to buy it as yet. A statement published by the group's Amaq propaganda agency claimed the attacker was a "soldier of the Islamic State". "The Las Vegas attacker is a soldier of the Islamic State in response to calls to target coalition countries," it said. ISIS also claimed the gunman "converted to Islam several months ago." These claims however could not be ascertained as Paddock's lifestyle and religion are not clear as yet. This could be a release by the ISIS to stay in the limelight. Attacking the United States has always provided terror groups with enough material to rope in more recruits. Moreover if one looks at the wordings in the claim, it is very similar to the ones made in the past. While the ISIS has been propagating lone wolf attacks, there seems to be a change in pattern here. Lone wolves of the ISIS usually do not die in the manner that Paddock did. He killed himself before the police could storm into his room. A lone wolf of the ISIS would prefer to be martyred and normally takes the battle right to the end with the law enforcement agencies. For now there is absolutely no confirmation whether Paddock had converted to Islam. There is also nothing concrete to suggest that this attack was ISIS inspired. At best for now, what one could say is that the claim made by the ISIS is only aimed at spreading its psychological warfare. OneIndia News India's stand on Rohingyas gracious so far but housing them would be risky The Rohingya influx continues as Tripura police nets seven of them Is Myanmar ready to take back Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh? International oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Recommended Video Rohingya crisis: Is Myanmar ready to take back Rohingyas ? | Oneindia News Dhaka, Oct 3: Bangladesh is facing one of its most pressing humanitarian crises in recent times as half a million Rohingya refugees, who have fled Myanmar, have taken shelter in the nation. For a "poor" country like Bangladesh to allow such a huge number of refugees to enter its soil is a big thing as it is nowhere capable of giving proper shelter, food and clothing to so many refugees who have left their homeland to avoid violence and persecution. The humanly gesture shown by Bangladesh towards the violence-hit Rohingyas from Myanmar has been well-appreciated by all international aid groups, including the UN. However, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also made it clear that Myanmar government needs to stop violence and killings of Rohingyas and restart the process of taking back the Rohingyas. The process of repatriation of Rohingyas has started on Monday, albeit the entire exercise is in its very initial stage. On Monday, Myanmar proposed to take back over half a million of its Rohingyas from Bangladesh as the two countries agreed to set up a working group to coordinate the repatriation of the minority Muslims who have fled across the border after a military crackdown. More than half a million Rohingya have arrived in Bangladesh over the last five weeks after militant attacks on police checkposts in the Buddhist majority country sparked violent reprisals. Bangladesh has repeatedly urged Myanmar to repatriate them. Bangladesh's foreign minister AH Mahmood Ali on Monday held talks in Dhaka with a senior representative of Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. "Myanmar has proposed to take back the Rohingyas from Bangladesh," Ali told reporters emerging from an over one hour long meeting with minister for the office of the state counsellor of Myanmar Kyaw Tint Swe. The two sides agreed on forming a joint working group to oversee the repatriation process but its composition would be decided later by both the countries, he said. Ali said the meeting was held "in a peaceful manner" and Bangladesh handed over the Myanmar representative a proposed agreement for smooth refugee repatriation and suggested implementation of Annan Commission report for peaceful resolution of the crisis. "Fruitful discussion was also held on security cooperation (in the meeting) when Bangladesh reiterated its zero tolerance policy against all sorts of terrorism," Ali said. Asked if there was any timeframe fixed for forming the joint working group, the minister evaded a direct answer saying "the process has started" but said Bangladesh's home minister Asaduzzaman Khan would "soon visit Myanmar to discuss the issue". Hasina earlier called for an end to the violence and for safe zones to be set up in Myanmar to enable refugees to return. She asked the United Nations (UN) to send a fact-finding mission to Myanmar and for Myanmar to implement recommendations drawn up by former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan-led team on solving problems in Rakhine. Khan and senior Bangladesh officials joined the meeting, which came after the overnight arrival of Kyaw Tint Swe. There was no immediate comment from Suu Kyi's representative, who arrived late on Sunday night to Dhaka amid mounting global pressures on the country over exodus of its ethnic minority Rohingya nationals to Bangladesh. The latest influx of refugees began on August 25 when Myanmar's military launched a crackdown in the northern Rakhine State over alleged terrorist attacks on its police outposts. With the latest influx, there are now more than 800,000 refugees living near Bangladesh's border with Myanmar. The refugees claimed the Myanmar security forces were shooting at civilians, setting fire to their homes and raping Rohingya women. Nobel peace laureate Suu Kyi, who has been severely criticised for her failure to curb the military crackdown on the Rohingyas, said in a speech last month that Myanmar would take back "verified" refugees. She said Myanmar was ready to start a verification process under a 1993 agreement with Bangladesh and "refugees from this country will be accepted without any problem". Rohingyas, a Muslim minority, do not qualify for Myanmar citizenship even though many have lived there for generations while its army insists they are interlopers from across the border in Bangladesh. Meanwhile, India's latest stand to deport around 40,000 Rohingyas staying in various parts of the country has been heavily criticised by several national and international groups. In an opinion piece for Hindustan Times, Colin Gonsalves, senior Supreme Court advocate and founder, Human Rights Law Network, said that the law is clear that India can't deport Rohingyas. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, October 3, 2017, 6:48 [IST] PM Modi holds brief discussion with French President at the start of G20 Summit in Bali 'Return to the path of ceasefire and diplomacy': PM Modi's advice on Ukraine crisis at G20 Summit Narendra Modi is an elected terrorist, says Pak Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif International oi-Chennabasaveshwar By Chennabasaveshwar Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif during an interview to Geo TV's show 'Capital Talk' called Prime Minister Narendra Modi an "elected terrorist" who has the "blood of Muslims of Gujarat on his hands", referring to the 2002 Godhra riots. Khawaja Asif also called the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) a "terrorist party". "What can we say about a country that elects a terrorist [as prime minister]," he said on the show. The minister added that Muslims were being killed in India in the guise of cow protection, and that Muslims, Dalits and Christians were all "fair game" in the country. "At the (UN) General Assembly, Sushma Swaraj accused us of exporting terror, while in fact, it is a terrorist who is Prime Minister of her country, his (the PM's) hands have the blood of murdered Muslims in Gujarat," said Asif. The minister's comments come days after verbal exchanges between the two countries at the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly. Khawaja Asif also pointed out that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had won elections in Uttar Pradesh with full majority primarily because of support from "communal upper-caste Hindus". During the interview, Asif also denied recent reports that Pakistan had received a proposal from Afghanistan to swap former Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav for the militant who attacked a school in Peshawar in 2014 and is currently jailed in Afghanistan. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, October 3, 2017, 10:52 [IST] Africa faces climate disaster but is also a beacon of hope Can Africa power with renewables as it grows? Ram Nath Kovind leaves for Africa on first foreign trip as President International oi-PTI President Ram Nath Kovind has embarked on his first international trip since taking office, a four-day visit to Djibouti and Ethiopia. During his visit to the two African nations, the president is expected to sign agreements on institutionalisation of foreign office consultation and greater economic cooperation with Ethiopia, Neena Malhotra, Joint Secretary (East and Southern Africa) in the Ministry of External Affairs had said earlier. Press Secretary to the President Ashok Malik has said that Djibouti is an important Indian Ocean partner country with whom India's bilateral trade stands at USD 284 million in 2016-17. "The president is looking forward to the visit. He recognises that the Africa and Indian ocean region are central to Indian foreign policy. That is why this region was chosen as his first foreign visit," Malik said. India has extended a line of credit of USD 49 million to Djibouti, mainly for constructing a cement plant. It is a strategically located country just off the Gulf of Aden. Kovind's visit will be the first by an Indian president to Ethiopia after 45 years. The last visit was by President V V Giri in 1972. India's bilateral trade with Ethiopia in 2016 was nearly USD 1 billion. The country is among the top three foreign investors in Ethiopia with an approved investment of 4 billion dollars. President Kovind is also expected to meet Indian diaspora in Ethiopia. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, October 3, 2017, 13:20 [IST] US to ask Cuba to cut embassy staff by 60 percent International oi-PTI The Trump administration will ask Cuba to cut their Washington embassy staff by 60 percent following a mystery illness that spawned diplomatic fracas in Havana. The US request marks yet another major setback for relations between the United States and Cuba, two countries that only recently renewed diplomatic relations after a half-century of hostility. It comes as the US seeks to protect its own diplomats from unexplained attacks that have harmed at least 21 Americans in Havana with ailments that affected their hearing, cognition, balance and vision. The State Department is expected to announce the decision Tuesday, officials said, though they cautioned no decision was formalized until publicly announced. The officials weren't authorized to discuss the plan publicly and requested anonymity. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson discussed the plan Monday with President Donald Trump, one of the officials said. Cuba has denied involvement in the attacks. Though Havana is likely to view the move as unwarranted retaliation. US Officials claim the move by the State Department is not intended as a punishment but instead will be used to ensure both embassies had an equal amount of diplomats. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, October 3, 2017, 10:46 [IST] Why has the ISIS claimed the Las Vegas attack International oi-Vicky By Vicky Recommended Video Las Vegas Shooting: Reason behind ISIS claiming the shootout, a bigger plan| Oneindia News The Islamic State was quick to call the Las Vegas shooting in which 58 persons were killed. Officials however doubt this claim. The initial investigations do not suggest that the shooter belonged to the outfit or was inspired by its ideology. The ISIS has been quick to call attacks and this is part of its larger strategy to spread fear and panic. Since the ISIS has lost heavily in Iraq and Syria it has been operating on a concept called inspired modules. An inspired module is one that draws inspiration from a group's ideology. The members of the group of a lone person is not in touch with the members of the terrorist group. The planning of an attack is not discussed or known to the members of the group. The ideology is in circulation and it is up for grabs. Any person can draw inspiration and carry out an attack in the name of the terrorist group. In India too several such modules were busted. Most of the members were not in touch with any of the members or handlers of the ISIS. They drew inspiration from the material circulated online and planned and tried to execute the attack on their own. This also meant that the ISIS or the al-Qaeda did not have to fund these modules. The members collect funds and go about their business on their own. For using the ISIS ideology, the group only would seek credit in return. One needs to bear in mind is that the ISIS does not function like other terror groups. The ISIS does not function on the module theory. It is an outfit that works like an army in Iraq and Syria. The function it gives its recruits in Iraq and Syria is very different to that it expects from its men in other parts of the world. When Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the boss of the ISIS delivered a message a year back, he made it amply clear that the outfit needed people who were inspired by it. He wanted to spread the ideology of the ISIS across the world and directed all to set up the Caliphate in their respective countries. Top Intelligence Bureau officials say that the ISIS functions on inspiration. There is no set pattern that it works on. It has thrown a lot of material online about ideology and how it expects its men to function. It does not call for an attack that would require a great deal of planning. Do not follow the rules is the message that it delivers. For instance, if a 'non-believer' is pushed down a building, the IS would call it an attack. The Nice attack in which a lorry mowed down several people was also called an attack. That attack was carried out by an ISIS inspired man who was not part of any module. OneIndia News Risk of his posts 'too great': Facebook, Instagram extend ban on Trump's account till transition is complete Mark Zuckerberg says 'sorry' as Meta fires over 11,000 employees in one go | Full statement Zuckerberg apologises for Facebook's negative effects, vows to keep tab on political ads International oi-PTI Washington, October 3: Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has tendered apology for the social-media platform's negative effects and asked for forgiveness for his work that was used to divide people rather than uniting them. But, Zuckerberg did not mention any specific incident for his apology. Zuckerberg, 33, apologized in the wake of mounting evidence that Russians had used Facebook he created more than a decade ago to spread propaganda and influence voter sentiment all to tip the US presidential election in Donald Trump's favour, Washington Post said. He took to his social media account and wrote, "For those I hurt this year, I ask forgiveness and I will try to be better." "For the ways my work was used to divide people rather than bring us together, I ask for forgiveness and I will work to do better," he wrote in a brief post. Earlier, Facebook had announced it would turn over to Congress copies of more than 3,000 advertisements that a shadowy Russian company bought for USD 100,000 from June 2015 to May 2017. The ads were linked to about 470 fake accounts likely operated out of Russia. Alex Stamos, Facebook's chief security officer, said last month that the vast majority of the ads didn t specifically mention the presidential election, but it touched on divisive topics, such as LGBT rights, race, immigration and gun rights. Facebook had initially declined to share copies of the ads, saying it would compromise user privacy, but Zuckerberg announced a reversal of that decision on September 21, the paper said. "I don't want anyone to use our tools to undermine democracy. That's not what we stand for," Zuckerberg said in a Facebook Live video. Zuckerberg vowed that the company will continue to investigate and enhance transparency on who buys political ads. He acknowledged that the amount of problematic activities Facebook has uncovered is "relatively small". PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, October 3, 2017, 11:19 [IST] See original here By Mark Sumner Donald Trump has already demonstrated that he'll pardon anyone, even if that person is clearly guilty and even if a sentence hasn't yet been handed down. The pardoning of Joe Arpaio is a clear signal to those who took part in Trump-Russia that if they just keep their mouth's shut, a nice pardon is waiting for them when the special counsel comes around. With that in mind, Robert Mueller has assigned one of his team to finding ways of stopping Trump's pardon power from wrecking their case. "Pre-emptive pardons are a distinct possibility now that current and former Trump advisers are under Mueller's scrutiny. Trump himself has tweeted that everyone agrees the U.S. president has 'complete power to pardon.' Some of those kinds of executive moves have been well studied, including Gerald Ford's swift pardon of Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton's exoneration of fugitive financier Marc Rich. But the legal territory is largely uncharted over pardons of a president's own campaign workers, family members or even himself -- and how prosecutors' work would then be affected." If Trump begins blocking the progress of the investigation with pardons, federal courts can expect some exercise. But Mueller doesn't want to leave his case in the hands of Trump-appointed judges. "Acting as Mueller's top legal counsel, [Michael Dreeben] has been researching past pardons and determining what, if any, limits exist, according to a person familiar with the matter. Dreeben's broader brief is to make sure the special counsel's prosecutorial moves are legally airtight." And if they do end up in front of the Supreme Court, Dreeben has been there -- more than 100 times. Dreeben, 62, built that expertise over three decades as an appeals lawyer at the Justice Department. As a deputy solicitor general, he's pored over prosecutors' moves in more than a thousand federal criminal prosecutions and defended many of them from challenges all they way to the nation's highest court. That hasn't always made Dreeben a progressive favorite. Under the charge of defending cases brought by prosecutors, it's sometimes been Dreeben's task to push cases where collection of evidence collided with the rights of defendants. But as part of Mueller's team, Dreeben is the expert in how to make charges stick. From Alternet The Second Amendment is an anachronism that's no longer relevant today. With the crazed assault in Las Vegas that killed over 50 and wounded hundreds as only the most recent example, America's gun violence problem has reached a breaking point. While we can talk all we want about assault weapons bans, universal background checks and terror watch lists, there's only one real solution to this problem: We need to repeal the Second Amendment. This, of course, is completely unacceptable to Republicans, but that's because they don't know the real history of the Second Amendment, and the real history of the Second Amendment is as ugly as it gets. Thanks to corporate media's unquestioning regurgitation of right-wing talking points, most Americans think that Second Amendment is in the Constitution to protect the rights of individual gun owners from the government. But that's not even remotely true. Despite what you might hear on Fox So-Called news, there actually was no "individual right to own a gun" until 2008, when the Supreme Court said there was in its decision in the case of District of Columbia v. Heller. That decision, which struck down Washington, D.C.'s handgun ban, was the culmination of a decades-long push by the gun industry to twist the Second Amendment into something that would help it sell more weapons, and it had zero basis in real Constitutional history. It's what former Chief Justice Warren Burger called a "fraud on the American public," and it's a fraud that now makes it very, very hard to put in place sensible gun control laws. So, if the Second Amendment wasn't originally about protecting gun rights, why is it in the U.S. Constitution? What were the Founders thinking? Well, the first and most obvious answer, and the one accepted by most historians, is that they were trying to prevent the existence of a standing army during times of peace. The Founders were scholars of classical history, and they knew that history teaches that when given too much power, armies, repeatedly and throughout history, would overthrow democracy and put in place a military dictatorship. There's even a phrase to describe it: a military coup. As James Madison told the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention in 1787, "'A standing military force' will not long be safe companions to liberty. The means of defense against foreign danger have been always the instruments of tyranny at home. Among the Romans it was a standing maxim to excite a war, whenever a revolt was apprehended. Throughout all Europe, the armies kept up under the pretext of defending, have enslaved the people. Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). From The Nation The American Civil Liberties Union is flexing the organizing and campaigning muscles it has developed since Donald Trump assumed the presidency to address the structural challenges that undermined American democracy before the 2016 presidential election. The ACLU's ambitious "Let People Vote" project will work in states across the country to strengthen democracy by extending early-voting periods, making voter registration more accessible, restoring voting rights for disenfranchised communities, and combating "attempts at voter suppression, such as discriminatory voter ID requirements and voter purges." Those vital initiatives will make it easier to vote. But the ACLU is not stopping there. It is also seeking reforms that will make voting more meaningful by restoring competition to legislative and congressional elections. "One way politicians have been able to reshape the electorate to their liking is through the redistricting process," explains the ACLU's Brian Tashman. "Gerrymandering is done to protect incumbent lawmakers, especially when they are members of the party in power. This practice creates legislative districts that are so uncompetitive that it discourages voter participation." The focus on gerrymandering is essential, and the Supreme Court will take up the issue Tuesday, hearing oral arguments on a Wisconsin case that could ultimately transform elections nationwide. The legal scholars and voting-rights activists who brought the case, now dubbed Gill v. Whitford, have asserted that Wisconsin's state Assembly and state Senate district maps were rigged by Governor Scott Walker's hyper-partisan legislative allies to lock in the majorities they gained in the wave election of 2010. Republicans gerrymandered legislative district lines so aggressively that in the next election, even as Wisconsin Democrats won 174,000 more votes than Republicans in races for state Assembly seats, Republicans won a 60-39 majority in the chamber. The democratic disconnect illustrated by those numbers has strengthened the argument that the gerrymandering of district lines denies voters their right to participate in fair and competitive elections. And jurists have begun to accept that something must be done to make elections more reflective of the popular will. As the lead plaintiff in the Wisconsin case, longtime University of Wisconsin law professor William Whitford, says: "In a democracy citizens are supposed to choose their legislators. In Wisconsin, legislators have chosen their voters." Click Here to Read Whole Article This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. I first "met" Noam Chomsky in 1969 by reading these words of his about the My Lai massacre: "And now there is Song My -- 'Pinkville.' More than two decades of indoctrination and counterrevolutionary interventions have created the possibility of a name like 'Pinkville' -- and the acts that may be done in a place so named. Orville and Jonathan Schell have pointed out what any literate person should realize, that this was no isolated atrocity but the logical consequence of a virtual war of extermination directed against helpless peasants: 'enemies,' 'reds,' 'dinks.'" Discussing various of America's criminal acts in the larger war in Vietnam, Chomsky then added of the My Lai massacre itself: "It is perhaps remarkable that none of this appears to occasion much concern. It is only the acts of a company of half-crazed GIs that are regarded as a scandal, a disgrace to America. It will, indeed, be a still greater national scandal -- if we assume that to be possible -- if they alone are subjected to criminal prosecution, but not those who have created and accepted the long-term atrocity to which they contributed one detail -- merely a few hundred more murdered Vietnamese." Chomsky wrote "After Pinkville" -- areas like Song My were then colored pink on American military maps -- in 1969. Almost half a century later, the question is: Have things improved? After all, in Ken Burns's new Vietnam extravaganza, his 18-hour documentary on that war, he seems to have captured the zeitgeist of the moment by carefully changing the word "murder" in the script for the My Lai episode to "killing." "At lunch, Burns defended his change," wrote the New Yorker's Ian Parker,"on the ground that My Lai continues to have 'a toxic, radioactive effect' on opinion. 'Killing' was the better word, he said, 'even though My Lai is murder.'" To be thoroughly upbeat, perhaps by 2067 Americans will finally be able to take "murder" straight on television when it comes to My Lai. Almost 50 years ago, Daniel Ellsberg was both celebrated by many and unsuccessfully prosecuted by the Nixon administration, in part under the Espionage Act, for releasing The Pentagon Papers, a massive secret trove of documents that revealed to the American people something of what the United States was actually doing in Vietnam. In our era, Chelsea Manning did something similar. She turned over a twenty-first-century trove of secret documents on the Afghan and Iraq wars -- on, that is, what she's accurately termed "death, destruction, and mayhem" -- to WikiLeaks and for that she was celebrated by few and prosecuted and convicted by the U.S. military. Pardoned by President Obama after seven years in military prison, she recently had her visiting fellowship to Harvard's Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School of Government rescinded after CIA Director Mike Pompeo cancelled a talk there, complaining that Manning had "betrayed her country," and former CIA Acting Director Michael Morell, a senior fellow at the same school, resigned in protest. Or to put it another way, Harvard caved to men who represented an agency that had committed secret acts of horror betraying every imaginable American value. (To give credit where it's due, significant numbers of Harvard faculty members protested this craven act.) The same institute felt no compunctions about offering a visiting fellowship to former Trump press secretary Sean Spicer and, despite alumni protest, not rescinding it. Perhaps there's an essay, "After Punkville," to be written about all of this. Under the circumstances, it's our good fortune that, with civilians regularly being "killed" by U.S. firepower across the Greater Middle East, Noam Chomsky continues to remind us what our world really looks like if we don't censor either our language or our thoughts. It makes today's TomDispatch post, a recent interview from his upcoming book with David Barsamian, Global Discontents: Conversations on the Rising Threats to Democracy, particularly relevant to our moment. Tom The Trump Presidency Or How to Further Enrich "The Masters of the Universe" By Noam Chomsky and David Barsamian [This interview has been excerpted from Global Discontents: Conversations on the Rising Threats to Democracy, the new book by Noam Chomsky and David Barsamian to be published this December.] David Barsamian: You have spoken about the difference between Trump's buffoonery, which gets endlessly covered by the media, and the actual policies he is striving to enact, which receive less attention. Do you think he has any coherent economic, political, or international policy goals? What has Trump actually managed to accomplish in his first months in office? Noam Chomsky: There is a diversionary process under way, perhaps just a natural result of the propensities of the figure at center stage and those doing the work behind the curtains. At one level, Trump's antics ensure that attention is focused on him, and it makes little difference how. Who even remembers the charge that millions of illegal immigrants voted for Clinton, depriving the pathetic little man of his Grand Victory? Or the accusation that Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower? The claims themselves don't really matter. It's enough that attention is diverted from what is happening in the background. There, out of the spotlight, the most savage fringe of the Republican Party is carefully advancing policies designed to enrich their true constituency: the Constituency of private power and wealth, "the masters of mankind," to borrow Adam Smith's phrase. These policies will harm the irrelevant general population and devastate future generations, but that's of little concern to the Republicans. They've been trying to push through similarly destructive legislation for years. Paul Ryan, for example, has long been advertising his ideal of virtually eliminating the federal government, apart from service to the Constituency -- though in the past he's wrapped his proposals in spreadsheets so they would look wonkish to commentators. Now, while attention is focused on Trump's latest mad doings, the Ryan gang and the executive branch are ramming through legislation and orders that undermine workers' rights, cripple consumer protections, and severely harm rural communities. They seek to devastate health programs, revoking the taxes that pay for them in order to further enrich their Constituency, and to eviscerate the Dodd-Frank Act, which imposed some much-needed constraints on the predatory financial system that grew during the neoliberal period. That's just a sample of how the wrecking ball is being wielded by the newly empowered Republican Party. Indeed, it is no longer a political party in the traditional sense. Conservative political analysts Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein have described it more accurately as a "radical insurgency," one that has abandoned normal parliamentary politics. Much of this is being carried out stealthily, in closed sessions, with as little public notice as possible. Other Republican policies are more open, such as pulling out of the Paris climate agreement, thereby isolating the U.S. as a pariah state that refuses to participate in international efforts to confront looming environmental disaster. Even worse, they are intent on maximizing the use of fossil fuels, including the most dangerous; dismantling regulations; and sharply cutting back on research and development of alternative energy sources, which will soon be necessary for decent survival. Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Nothing going on here. (Image by chris breddy1) Details DMCA I'm reading about how Israeli Security and IDF are teaching our police brutal methods and practices during the ongoing 'Police Exchange Programs'. Please, our police departments are very well versed in brutal tactics and practices. I was in law enforcement for many years, starting in 1962 in Missouri (Pre Miranda). I learned (and practiced) things that make me blush to think about today, and I wasn't one of the worst offenders. To think that the Israelis could teach our cops more than they already know about illegal, improper and brutal procedures is to be naive to the extreme. I'm not saying every cop uses these tactics. I am saying that they are already known to our police and still practiced today by all too many. In addition to well-established methods, our veterans of Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere are joining police departments upon discharge from active duty and bringing with them new and exotic methods used by our forces overseas. My point? The forgoing is not the cause for alarm for our country. What is going on is the quiet and subtle infiltration of Israeli influence at every command level of our nation's police forces, from chiefs down to patrolman. The 'School of the Americas' was established by our military at Fort Benning, Georgia. It's stated mission was to export professional military policies and procedures to armed forces in Central and South America, but few people know the long-term mission of that program. Let me explain: upon arrival at their quarters at Fort Benning, officers from the various countries were assigned a 'Buddy'. This American intelligence operative was fluent in the language of the student officer and well schooled on his country of origin. The Buddy was assigned as a roommate, as a rule, and would take the student under his wing and show him 'the ropes' around the school campus, the post and the surrounding town attractions. This Buddy would work to establish a close personal relationship with the student over the days and weeks of classes and training. He would hopefully gain his friendship, his trust and his confidence. He would learn of the student's likes, dislikes, family, home life, hobbies, weaknesses, strengths and spiritual beliefs, if any. Everything would be recorded in a file and kept by Army Intelligence. The insidious part of this practice is that this 'Buddy' would stay in touch with the student long after his completion of the school. Regular contact would be maintained to such an extent that the student could be groomed for service to our government while serving in his own government's military. Many military coup leaders around the globe were/are graduates of our School of the Americas. This is a simple verifiable fact. Am I saying that Israel is grooming our civil police for the possible overthrow of our government? No, I'm saying that Israel is infiltrating our police forces in furtherance of their own national interests. I'm saying this program is a long-standing one. I'm saying it is ongoing today, and I'm saying this is the real danger of this program. Police officers of every rank take an oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. There is no room there for foreign entanglements. Israel has been infiltrating and influencing our political, military and commercial interests for decades. The program i'm discussing here is just one more aspect of their continued intrusion into our affairs. Our officers return from these programs in Israel with their egos plumped, having been flattered, pampered and rewarded in many ways, both official and unofficial. Don't expect them to feel that they've been used by a foreign power. They return flush with a mountain of pleasant memories and exotic experiences. They are the last persons to suspect they were being used badly. Their 'Buddies' are their friends, and you will be a 'conspiracy theorist' and that will be the end of the discussion. I'm only taking the time to write this so that someone, somewhere knows what's going on and why. Postscript: The FBI has had the exact same program in place for years with their "National Academy; at their primary training facility, Quantico, Virginia. Again, the primary goal is to gain intelligence about various local police officers and their agencies, and additionally, to insure that there is a point of contact in every U. S. jurisdiction where the feds can expect to find a friendly voice that will take their call, if needed. Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121 "At 350.org we've always wanted to work from the bottom up, and it's good to see people assembling a theoretical framework for understanding this decentralized approach! " Bill McKibben, founder 350.org, author of The End of Nature Quicklink Not Found Sometimes, authors delete their quicklinks after publishing them. To see if the quicklink was renamed or re-published, please click here. Progressive Content Not Found Sometimes, authors delete their progressive content after publishing. To see if the progressive content was renamed or re-published, please click here. Article Not Found Sometimes, authors delete their articles after publishing them. To see if the article was renamed or re-published, please click here. (Image by Egberto Willies) Details DMCA CNN's segment describing who Las Vegas mass killer Stephen Paddock was illustrates the problems with the media. To many, the piece is an attempt to humanize Paddock as they promote his neighbor's description of him as a gentle giant. "The retired accountant, firing dozens of rounds onto thousands of concert goers about five hundred yards away from two hotel windows he smashed on the 32nd floor at the Mandalay Bay," the reporter said. That antiseptic and matter-of-fact nature of the entry to Paddock's description gives the impression that it was some ordinary crime. It would have been more appropriate after introducing him to refer to him appropriately, the mass killer or the domestic terrorist. He was an accountant but what he is now is a mass murderer. Engrained in many Americans' minds is just an Accountant doing wrong. Is that how the media addressed the mass killers associated with Islam or people of color committing murders of lesser volume and terror? CNN went out of their way to make Stephen Paddock seem like just the normal guy. CNN highlighted a statement by a gun shop owner who sold Paddock a gun. "He didn't set off any of my alarms, anything that I felt like there was a problem in any way shape or form with him," said Chris Michel, owner of the Utah gun store. "He was a normal everyday guy that walks into my door fifty thousand times a day." Really? Is that not the case with most killers purchasing weapons? That is not out of the ordinary. CNN continues to build Paddocks character pointing out he has no criminal past. A lot of killers don't. They made sure to get his brother stating that Paddock never exhibited any violent tendencies. The reporter points out that the brother said Stephen Paddock was a successful real estate investor who owned several properties. Instead of calling Paddock a gambler which has a negative connotation, they softened it. "He also had an affinity for gambling," CNN said. They then attempted to inject an excuse if only subliminally, maybe a seed from the past that caused him to snap. "But the family has a troubled past," the reporter said. "Paddock's father, Benjamin, was a convicted bank robber who escaped from prison in the late sixties and was on the FBI's most wanted list." But here is the kicker at the end of the segment. "Neighbors shocked by the news," the CNN reporter continued. "Some even describing him as a gentle giant. 'We wouldn't recognize him as being anything out of the norm." And there you have it. A mass killer, humanized. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Hurricane damage in Puerto Rico (Image by airforcemag) Details DMCA From today's violence in Las Vegas with 60 killed and 500 wounded from the actions of an American gunman, the loss of human life in Puerto Rico, Florida, Texas, the US Virgin Islands and the massive property destruction from Hurricanes Maria, Irma and Harvey, over the past two months, citizens of the United States have faced fire and violence from the skies that people in other parts of the world have routinely been enduring. Other islands of the Caribbean, Cuba, Barbuda, Dominica, Antigua, British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos, British Virgin Island, St. Martin, Monserrat, Guadaloupe, St. Kitts and Nevis were also smashed by Hurricanes Maria, Irma and Harvey. In other parts of the world, one-third of Bangladesh has been underwater from monsoon rains, parts of Nigeria have been flooded. Mexico has endured killer earthquakes. Rahingya villages in Myanmar have been burned, thousands murdered and over 400,000 fleeing into Bangladesh to escape Buddhist Burmese/Myanmar military violence. (Image by Screenshot (Channel 4)) Details DMCA Endless numbers of homes destroyed by hurricanes and floods in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Barbuda, Dominica, Antigua -- some of these areas resemble the blown up buildings, streets filled with rubble and the dazed citizens wandering looking for food and water just as in the war zones where people in Afghanistan have been enduring U.S. war and destruction for 16 years... and in Iraq for 13 years... and in Syria for five years. Afghan, Pakistani, Somali, Iraqi, Yemeni and Syrian civilians have been murdered by U.S. killer drones, whose pilots are trained 60 miles from Las Vegas, raining hellfire missiles from above in the same sudden violence from the skies as people in Las Vegas suffered last night. Death came from different munitions-long-range rifles in Las Vegas and hellfire missiles in the Middle East, but the result was the same -- sudden violent death from the skies. Hurricanes from space (Image by NASA) Details DMCA Americans are now face-to-face with the human and environmental violence that many parts of the world have endured. Americans are enduring the ravages of both gun violence of a committed sniper and the violence of Planet Earth's environmental war on the frail humans that have been using and abusing her. Access to guns and gun violence in the United States is out of control. US wars killing people around the world has been the rationale used by some to kill in the United States. Corporate, Congressional and Trump administration denial of the human impact on our environment and refusal to work to reduce the impact of humanity will fuel even more violent attacks by nature on us. It's time for Congress to enact gun control legislation, for US wars to end, and that we take serious measures to stop further destruction of our climate. From The National The unravelling of the map of the region would likely lead to chaos of the kind that a strong, nuclear-armed Israel could richly exploit Palestinians and Israelis watched last week's referendum of Iraq's Kurds with special interest. Israeli officials and many ordinary Palestinians were delighted -- for very different reasons -- to see an overwhelming vote to split away from Iraq. Given the backlash from Baghdad and anger from Iran and Turkey, which have restive Kurdish minorities, the creation of a Kurdistan in northern Iraq may not happen soon. Palestinian support for the Kurds is not difficult to understand. Palestinians, too, were overlooked when Britain and France carved up the Middle East into states a century ago. Like the Kurds, Palestinians have found themselves trapped in different territories, oppressed by their overlords. Israel's complex interests in Kurdish independence are harder to unravel. Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was the sole world leader to back Kurdish independence, and other politicians spoke of the Kurds' "moral right" to a state. None saw how uneasily that sat with their approach to the Palestinian case. On a superficial level, Israel would gain because the Kurds sit on plentiful oil. Unlike the Arab states and Iran, they are keen to sell to Israel. But the reasons for Israeli support run deeper. There has been co-operation, much of it secret, between Israel and the Kurds for decades. Israeli media lapped up tributes from now-retired generals who trained the Kurds from the 1960s. Those connections have not been forgotten or ended. Independence rallies featured Israeli flags, and Kurds spoke of their ambition to become a "second Israel." Israel views the Kurds as a key ally in an Arab-dominated region. Now, with ISIL's influence receding, an independent Kurdistan could help prevent Iran from filling the void. Israel wants a bulwark against Iran transferring its weapons, intelligence and know-how to Shiite allies in Syria and Lebanon. Israel's current interests, however, hint at a larger vision it has long harbored for the region. It began with Israel's founding father, David Ben Gurion, who devised a strategy of "allying with the periphery" -- building military ties to non-Arab states like Turkey, Ethiopia, India and Iran, then ruled by the shahs. The goal was to help Israel break out of its regional isolation and contain an Arab nationalism led by Egypt's Gamal Abdel Nasser. Israeli general Ariel Sharon expanded this security doctrine in the early 1980s, calling for Israel to become an imperial power in the Middle East. Israel would ensure that it alone in the region possessed nuclear weapons, making it indispensible to the US. Sharon was not explicit about how Israel's empire could be realized, but an indication was provided at around the same time in the Yinon Plan, written for the World Zionist Organization by a former Israeli foreign ministry official. Oded Yinon proposed the implosion of the Middle East, breaking apart the region's key states -- and Israel's main opponents -- by fuelling sectarian and ethnic discord. The aim was to fracture these states, weakening them so that Israel could secure its place as sole regional power. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Image From Article (Image by Unknown) Details DMCA "Those who create a problem can't fix it."--Albert Einstein as quoted by Arnold Schwarzenegger "It is time to terminate gerrymandering!" former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger told a crowd of about 100 activists today in front of the SCOTUS building once the case Gill v. Whitford had been argued within. He was one of several Republicans, mostly retired from office, who oppose this form of corruption; (John McCain and John Kasich (OH SoS) are the active GOP supporters) who had joined ranks with Democrats and independents to support ending this partisan/racist practice that involves "redistricting" throughout the country, especially in battleground states. Tthe goal is to "pack" and "crack" electoral districts, at the federal and state levels, to guarantee that Democrats, for the most part, are packed into a few districts and diluted ("cracked") over others so that in most cases Republicans control them. There was about an hour and a half of rallying as the case was being argued, with speakers including U.S. representatives from Wisconsin, New York, Oregon, Florida, Michigan, and California. Sponsors included Common Cause, RepresentUs, and the Center for American Progress (CAP) Action Fund. Rep. Tom Swazi, first to speak, noted that there are 400 "safe" seats in the House of Representatives out of 435. A "safe" seat contains an incumbent guaranteed reelection unless "primaried," a rare occurrence (it happened to Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) in 2012 when two blue Cincinnati districts were combined into one). On average 10 percent of the populace vote in primaries, he said. We need competitive seats. . . . Don't underestimate the power of the people! Hey, hey, ho, ho--gerrymandering has to go! Tired of your tampering! Stop your gerrymandering! When politicians choose, the voters always lose! Several of the speakers mentioned yesterday's Las Vegas massacre that killed at least 59 people and injured more than 520--one context, of course, was the need for the background check requirement wherever guns are sold. Will Congress do anything about it? asked the only GOP speaker at the protest, former U.S. Rep. David Jolly (R-FL). He referred to James Madison's warning in the Federalist Papers #10 against factionalism (George Washington also warned against it in his farewell speech in 1796). Candidates will have to speak to those independent voters who comprise fully one-third of the country, rather than just the battleground areas. Rachel Brewer, of RepresentUS, said that distrust of the government serves the self-interest of political parties. Of course, gerrymandering alienates voters who lose faith in the system. Gill v. Whitford represents the first time in 15 years that the issue has been argued in SCOTUS. She's heard from 25,000 members of her organization. "Shout like the future depends on it!" she exhorted. What do we want? Representation! When do we want it? Now! Rise up! Shout back! Oregon U.S. Rep. Richard Blumenthal noted that 15 years ago there was more competition in Iowa than in four of the most populous states in the U.S. for the simple reason that Iowa had an independent commission doing the redistricting rather than its state legislature, which in most of the country is in charge, sometimes with the assistance of outside commissions. Since then the situation has deteriorated with the advent of computerized gerrymandering and survey research. [A few states have nonpartisan independent redistricting commissions, including Arizona and California, and five others have bipartisan commissions--Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Jersey, and Washington State). Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). From Wallwritings Image created from image crediting (Image by James Wall) Details DMCA October Sky begins on the night of October 5, 1957. Residents of the town of Coalwood, West Virginia, peer into the October sky, some with binoculars, searching for a brief glimpse of Sputnik, the first Russian-launched satellite. The film is based on Rocket Boys, a memoir written by Homer H. Hickam Jr. The memoir tells the true story of four boys in a coal-mining town in Appalachia, each determined to build a rocket that will soar into the sky. It is a serious project. The boys want to help get America back into the "space race." At the film's conclusion, we discover what their experiences as "Rocket Boys" prepared them what to do as adults. This is a positive post, so please avoid thinking about the title of Hickam's memoir. The celebration of the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union is the first of two anniversaries in October, 2017. The second will arrive October 31, preceded by other events, all pointing to the day 500 years ago when Martin Luther posted 95 theses on the city hall door in the small German town of Wittenberg. These celebrations look back at one contest between nations, and a second struggle between a church hierarchy and a growing demand for theological openness. The "thesis" is a list Luther offered to debate with church authorities, who were in no mood to allow this irascible young monk to further arouse the faithful. It is notable that these two events were of a peaceful nature, though, as sinful nations and institutions are wont to do, subsequent events in those contests turned violent. In the space race, from commanders like John Glenn to the African-American women who under the burden of racial segregation provided crucial technical assistance, a large number of individuals acted positively to give the U.S. an edge. The African-American contribution to the space race is creatively portrayed in the recent film, Hidden Figures. Key to both, however, is that at turning points, key individuals emerged to provide practical and inspirational leadership for movements long in gestation. For the Reformation, which Luther's defiant 95 theses moment indicates, a single man provided a key movement, and drove it forward. Luther proposed an academic discussion of the practice and efficacy of indulgences in his Ninety-five Theses of 1517. According to one account, Luther nailed his Ninety-five Theses to the door of All Saints' Church in Wittenberg on 31 October 1517. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Fluoropolymers Market During 2024 to Perceive Substantial Growth https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/fluoropolymers-market.html https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=94 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/report-toc/94 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/checkout.php?rep_id=94 What was the historic Coupled Inductor market data from 2012 to 2016?> What is the Coupled Inductor industry growth forecast from 2016 to 2022?> Which companies lead the Coupled Inductor industry, how are they positioned in the market in terms of sustainability, competency, production capacity and strategic outlook?> What are the technology & innovation trends, how will they evolve by 2022?> Which are the leading market products, applications & regions and how will they perform by 2022?> A detailed analysis of regulatory trends, drivers, industry pitfalls, challenges and growth opportunities for participantsAbout 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: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 Battery Separator Market 2017: ASAHI KASEI, Cangzhou Mingzhu Plastic https://www.htfmarketreport.com/sample-report/724549-global-battery-separator-sales-market-1 https://www.htfmarketreport.com/request-discount/724549-global-battery-separator-sales-market-1 https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/724549-global-battery-separator-sales-market-1 https://www.htfmarketreport.com/buy-now?format=1&report=724549 A new research study from HTF MI with title Global Battery Separator Sales Market Report 2017 provides an in-depth assessment of the Battery Separator including key market trends, upcoming technologies, industry drivers, challenges, regulatory policies and issues, opportunities, future roadmap, value chain, ecosystem player profiles and strategies. The research study provides forecasts for Battery Separator investments till 2022.Get Access to sample pages @This study answers several questions for stakeholders, primarily which market segments or Region or Country they should focus in coming years to channelize their efforts and investments to maximize growth and profitability. These stakeholders include Battery Separator manufacturers such as ASAHI KASEI, Cangzhou Mingzhu Plastic, Celgard, Daramic, Dreamweaver, ASAHI KASEI, Cangzhou Mingzhu Plastic, Celgard, Daramic, Dreamweaver, Bernard Dumas, ENTEK, Foshan Jinhui Hi-Tech Optoelectronic Material, Henan Yi Tang New Energy Technology, Hunan Chi, etc.Global Battery Separator (K Units) and Revenue (Million USD) Market Split by Product Type such as Diode Type Battery Separator, Relay Type Battery SeparatorMarket Segment by Type 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022Diode Type Battery Separator xx xx xx xx xx xx xx-Change (%) xx% xx% xx% xx% xx% xx% xx%Relay Type Battery Separatorxx 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 as well such as Suvs, Motor Homes, Special Vehicle with historical and projected market share and compounded annual growth rate.Get customization & check discount for report @Global Battery Separator Sales (K Units) by Application (2016-2022)Market Segmentby Application 2012 2016 2022 Market Share (%)2022 CGAR (%)(2016-2022)Suvs xx xx xx xx% xx%Motor Homes xx xx xx xx% xx%Special Vehicle xx xx xx xx% xx%Total xx xx xx 100% xx%Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at @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 Global Battery Separator market? Who are the key market players and what are their strategies in the Global Battery Separator market? Trending factors influencing the market shares of the . What are the key market trends impacting the growth of the Global Battery Separator market? What trends, challenges and barriers are influencing Markets growth? What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in the Global Battery Separator market? What are the key outcomes of the five forces analysis of the Global Battery Separator market?Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions such as , with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), and market share and growth rate of Global Battery Separator in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringMarket Segment by Regions 2012 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%The report provides a basic overview of the Battery Separator industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. And development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and capital expenditures.Further it 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 Battery Separator industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed.Buy this research report @There are 15 chapters to deeply display the Global Battery Separator market.Chapter 1, to describe Battery Separator Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Battery Separator, with sales, revenue, and price of Battery Separator, 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 Battery Separator, 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 / regions ;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application [Suvs, Motor Homes, Special Vehicle], from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 12, Battery Separator market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Battery Separator sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.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 :HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private LimitedUnit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJNew Jersey USA 08837sales@htfmarketreport.com+1 (206) 317 1218 Blister Packaging Equipment Market to Grow at Over 5.4% CAGR through 2025 MRRSE https://www.mrrse.com/sample/3395 https://www.mrrse.com/blister-packaging-equipment-market https://www.mrrse.com/enquiry/3395 https://www.mrrse.com/ https://www.mrrse.com/ According to the report titled Global Blister Packaging Equipment Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 2025 added to the wide database of Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE), the market for blister packaging equipment is expected to grow at a 5.4% CAGR during the forecast period 2017 to 2025. The factors driving demand include increased production efficiency, less time in product changeover, massive automation in the packaging line, and increasing number of companies adapting to blister equipment in production lines leading to smart modernization of manufacturing facilities. Conversely, unwillingness in the pharmaceutical industry for adopting new procedures is hampering expansion of the global blister packaging equipment market. The report contains in-depth information about past trends and future prospects for the period 2017 to 2025.The report based on global Blister Packaging Equipment Market begins with an executive summary providing an overview to the readers. The executive summary is then followed by market introduction containing market definition and its taxonomy. The market overview section in the report gives reader insights into the market that studies macroeconomic indicators, market dynamics, region wise market share, and value chain analysis. The report gives 360 degree view of the market as it analyses the global blister packaging equipment market by type of the product, process, equipment, technology, end-use and region. Additionally, it also examines the fierce competition involved in global blister packaging equipment market.Request Free Sample Report:The product type segment is divided into solid, semi-solid and liquid. As per the report, the solid segment dominates the blister packaging equipment market worldwide with a share of 83% by value. Solid products are convenient to fill and more suitable. The semi-solid and liquid products are required to be packed in bottles or ampoules over blisters to avoid leakage due to shocks or load. The process type segment holds more than two-third of market share by value and the remaining belongs to semi-automatic and manual. The increasing trend of automation decreases the human involvement leading to reduction in errors in blisters manufacturing.Further, the end-use industry segment is divided into cosmetics & personal care, consumer electronics, pharmaceutical, food industry and other manufacturing in the report. Out of these, pharmaceutical segment is anticipated to dominate three-fourths of market share by value approximately. In segment equipment type, the inline filler is estimated to reach to a CAGR of 5.6% by value during the forecast period. In terms of technology, the market is categorized into ultrasonic sealing, thermoforming, heat sealing and cold sealing. As per the report, the thermoforming category is ruling the global blister packaging equipment market at present with half of the market share followed by heat sealing. The category heat sealing is further divided into plastic-to-plastic, plastic-to-card and card-to-card.Browse Full Report with TOC:According to the report, Asia Pacific region is currently dominating the global blister packaging equipment market in terms of volume and value. In 2017, this market was valued at US$793.4 mn due to the growing demand of packaging in various applications such as consumer goods, food, and pharmaceuticals. Europe and Asia Pacific are key producers of packaging machinery, mainly with countries like Japan, Germany and Italy globally.The report mentions some of the key companies holding prominent positions in the market are CAM Packaging Solutions, Romaco Pharmatechnik GmbH, Gebo Cermex, Fabrima Maquinas Automaticas Ltda, Korber AG, IMA Industria Macchine Automatiche S.p.A., Marchesini Group S.p.A., Sonoco Products Company, Bosch Packaging Technology and Uhlmann Pac-Systeme GmbH & Co. KG.Enquire About this Report ContactState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United StatesTelephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite: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 StatesTelephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite: Research Delivers Insight into the Global Outlook for Fillings & Filling Mixes Market https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=24143 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=24143 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Global Fillings & Filling Mixes Market: OverviewFillings & filling mixes are the natural or synthetic flavoured fillings used as stuffing or topping on the variety of food products. Fillings and filling mixes are most widely used in confectionary and bakery products. For instance, doughnuts, pastries, cakes, pie are the popular items where fillings have the majority of share. The fillings and filling mixes with the variety of flavours add texture and fine taste to the baked goods which often attracts the consumers and increases the probability point of sale.Besides, filling and filling mixes provides food product manufacturers new ways to diverse there product range with additions of luscious fillings. Primarily, fillings & filling mixes are available veg based, non-veg based and fruit based types. The new product development in the fruit based fillings is considerably strong owing to the increased demand ready to eat diversely flavoured food toppings.View TOC for this Market Report @Global Fillings & Filling Mixes Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe fillings & filling mixes is primarily driven by the growing demand for bakery and confectionary food items. The growth of the confectionary industry is one of the major driving factors for global fillings & filling mixes market. The changing food habits of the consumers, increase in the disposable income, and growing demand for ready to eat food are some of the factors contributing to drive the global fillings and filling market.However, the consumers health concern over intake of sugar-related food items restricts the sugary fillings & filling mixes market to some extent.Global Fillings & Filling Mixes Market: Region wise OutlookThe global fillings & filling mixes market is divided into seven regions, namely North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ), Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Japan and the Middle East and Africa (MEA). North America holds major share in the global fillings & filling mixes market owing to the growth of sugar-free product items, fruit based crushes, etc. Also, the robust confectionary industry in the North America region boosts the global filling & filling mixes market.The fillings & filling mixes market in Western Europe, is expected to grow at a significantly high CAGR owing to the fact that, consumers in the Western European countries have the highest spending on confectionary products. Also, consumers inclination towards the adoption of premium fillings is an added advantage for fillings & filling mixes manufacturers.For more information on this report, fill the form @APEJ fillings & filling mixes market is expected to exhibit high attractiveness index for key manufacturers such as Macphie Ltd, Tereos to penetrate more in the region with an aim to increase their market share in the region. However, the economic fall down in the China, has impacted the growth of confectionary industries coupled with consumers limiting sugar products owing to health reasons.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: Smartwatch Global Market Key Players Apple, Samsung, Sony, Motorola/Lenovo, LG, TomTom Analysis and Forecast to 2022 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/2361017-global-and-regional-smartwatch-market-research-report-2017 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/enquiry/2361017-global-and-regional-smartwatch-market-research-report-2017 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=2361017 SummaryWiseGuyReports.com adds Smartwatch Market 2017 Global Analysis, Growth, Trends and Opportunities Research Report Forecasting to 2022reports to its database.Smartwatch is an information processing device with the basic time function. The watch may communicate with external devices such as smart phones, sensors, and a wireless headset. Smartwatch often consists of two parts: Peripheral devices and software. Peripheral devices of Smartwatch may include camera, thermometer, accelerometer, altimeter, barometer, compass, GPS receiver, speaker and SDcard that is recognized as a mass storage device by a computer. Software may include Map display, scheduler, calculator, and various kinds of watch face. To be more exact, Smartwatches are not only watches, but more like hi-tech equipment.Global and Regional Smartwatch market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingAppleSamsungSonyMotorola/LenovoLGPebbleFitbitGarminWithingsPolarAsusHuaweiZTEinWatchCasioTAG HeuerTomTomQualcommRequest a Sample Report @Market Segment as follows:By RegionAsia-PacificNorth AmericaEuropeSouth AmericaMiddle East & AfricaOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoBy Main SystemApple Watch KitAndroid WearTizenEmbedded OSOthersBy Screen TypeMirasol ScreenFlexible E-paperLCD ScreenOn 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 Smartwatch for each application, includingPersonal AssistanceMedical / HealthFitnessPersonal SafetyAt any Query @Table of Contents1 Market Overview1.1 Market Segment Overview1.1.1 Product Definition1.1.2 Market by Type1.1.2.1 Triangular Track1.1.2.2 Regular Track1.1.3 Market by Application1.1.3.1 Personal Assistance1.1.3.2 Medical and Health1.1.3.3 Fitness1.1.3.4 Personal Safety1.2 Global and Regional Market Size1.2.1 Global Overview1.2.2 Market by Region1.2.2.1 Asia-Pacific1.2.2.2 North America1.2.2.3 Europe1.2.2.4 South America1.2.2.5 Middle East & Africa.6 Key Manufacturers6.1 Apple6.1.2 Company Information6.1.2 Product Specifications6.1.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)6.2 Samsung6.2.1 Company Information6.2.2 Product Specifications6.2.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)6.3 Sony6.3.1 Company Information6.3.2 Product Specifications6.3.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)6.4 Motorola/Lenovo6.4.1 Company Information6.4.2 Product Specifications6.4.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)6.5 LG6.5.1 Company Information6.5.2 Product Specifications6.5.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)6.6 Pebble6.6.1 Company Information6.6.2 Product Specifications6.6.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)6.7 Fitbit6.7.1 Company Information6.7.2 Product Specifications6.7.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)6.8 Garmin6.8.1 Company Information6.8.2 Product Specifications6.8.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)6.9 Withings6.9.1 Company Information6.9.2 Product Specifications6.9.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)6.10 Polar6.10.1 Company Information6.10.2 Product Specifications6.10.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)6.11 Asus6.12 Huawei6.13 ZTE6.14 inWatch6.15 Casio6.16 TAG Heuer6.17 TomTom6.18 QualcommBuy Now @Continued....Contact Us: sales@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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